


Like Being in Love for the First Time

by LyricalPary



Series: Comic Book verse [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Epilogue, First Time, Fluff and Smut, M/M, yeah that's basically it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 08:43:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4385165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyricalPary/pseuds/LyricalPary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton still isn't a superhero, but no longer does he feel like he needs to be. He's got the world's most wonderful boy by his side, and that's more than enough to keep him grounded.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Being in Love for the First Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cherryraindrops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryraindrops/gifts).



> Hello~ 
> 
> So here is the epilogue to ["You're a Glimpse of Bliss (A Little Taste of Heaven)"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4308759/chapters/9766659), which I recommend reading before diving into this one, otherwise you may not understand some things. But if you're just looking for smut and don't care, then that's okay, too lol. I'd still like to thank everyone who read the original fic and I'm grateful for all of the lovely comments, too!! So as a gift, here's an angst free epilogue. ❤
> 
> Title from ["First Time" by Lifehouse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0YvWQNWEJA).
> 
>   
>  **I do not give anyone permission to upload this work anywhere else.**   
> 

* * *

For the tenth time in the last two minutes, Ashton checks the watch on his wrist.

3:01 PM.

That is precisely one minute past the time that Luke gets out of class, meaning that he should be outside soon and running into Ashton’s arms. But he isn’t outside yet, so Ashton sighs and drops his arm back down to his side, since staring at his watch won’t make time go any faster.

At the same time, Ashton feels incredibly anxious. Today he’s going to surprise his boyfriend with something that’ll be much more convenient for the both of them, and he absolutely can’t wait to show it to Luke. He’s also nervous that Luke may not like the surprise, because it’s nothing new and fancy—hell, it’s not even vintage. To be honest, it’s pretty plain and already used, but it’s _something_ and Ashton loves it already. He knows that these irrational fears are silly, though. Of course Luke is going to be happy for him, so just like Ashley used to say to him, he tells himself that there’s no reason to be overdramatic.

After just a few more seconds of waiting, Ashton sees the first bunch of Norwest Christian students happily leaving campus. He suddenly wonders if he looks like some sort of creep, standing there in the parking lot despite clearly not being a student himself. But, then again, maybe he’s just overthinking things as usual, since not a single person spares him a glance. Doesn’t matter anyway, since there’s only one specific person whom he cares about.

It takes a while longer, but eventually, Ashton sees him. It’s almost ridiculous, the way that his heart beats faster the moment that his eyes land on Luke. The messy blond hair is the first thing that he sees, and then Luke tosses his head back to laugh, eyes closed and all. The reason for that is the second thing that Ashton notices, which is the dark haired boy walking next to Luke, who is waving his arms around as he tells a dramatic story. Although to be fair, all of Michael’s stories are pretty dramatic.

It’s that specific reason that it takes them a while to notice Ashton waving at them, and when they do, Luke’s face splits into an even wider grin. Then, it’s perfect because Ashton gets exactly what he’d wanted: Luke sort of half-jogs the small distance between them so that he can receive his hug, and once he’s pressed against Ashton’s chest, Ashton squeezes him lovingly. They don’t break apart until Michael approaches and whistles at them, all because of the eager kiss that Luke gives him.

“So you meant what you said about meeting me after school,” Luke says, still smiling excitedly.

Ashton nods, laughing softly. “Of course I did. After not being able to spend time with you these past couple of days, did you really think that I’d miss out on the chance to see you?”

The younger boy’s smile widens, and he’s got this look on his face that he always gets when he wants more kisses. But, of course he’s trying his best to contain himself, since they’re not exactly alone. Ashton would still kiss him, though, because he loves kissing Luke. That much is obvious. However, he’ll just have to find the strength to contain himself, too.

In an instant, Luke goes back to looking excited. “By the way, Michael was just telling me about this really funny thing that happened to him while he was playing WoW with his online friends last night.” He turns to the other boy and asks, “How did it go again?”

It doesn’t look as if Michael is paying much attention, since he’s currently frowning at the vehicle they’re standing in front of.

“Whose car is this, anyway?” he asks.

Ashton suddenly feels anxious all over again, but this time it’s because he can’t wait to blurt out the surprise. So, that’s exactly what he does. With the most prideful grin on his face, he eagerly announces:

“Mine.”

And it’s totally worth the pleasantly surprised looks on both of the boys’ faces, especially Luke, who is now jumping up and down with excitement, unable to decide whether he should be looking at Ashton or the car itself.

“Woah, are you serious?!”

Ashton nods as he spins around to pat the roof of the car that he now proudly owns. “Yup! It’s why I was too busy to hang out yesterday, took a while to sign everything and all that junk. And yeah, it’s definitely not a new car, but I think it’s perfect.”

“A silver Ford Escort ZX2,” Michael mutters, as he fixes his black dyed fringe in the reflection of the car window. “Not too bad for a first ride, I guess.”

Ashton raises his brows and looks at the other boy, slightly shocked. “Yeah… you know about cars?” he asks.

Michael simply shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “Meh. I play racing games sometimes.”

So typical, but he’s correct either way. Ashton doesn’t care about cars much, but he’s so ecstatic to finally have his own. It was purely by luck, too. The previous owner was going to sell it to someone else, but that person cancelled at the last minute, claiming that they’d found an even better car for a nicer deal. Thanks to that, the owner gave up and sold it to Ashton instead, even though he didn’t have as much to offer. Although, in his opinion, it was the perfect price for an older car.

“Will you let us ride in it?” Luke asks, with the biggest puppy eyes that Ashton has probably ever encountered.

It’s a silly question, though, and that’s why Ashton rolls his eyes. “Duh, that’s why I’m here! I figured that I’d drive the two of you home. Would you like that?”

Luke instantly nods at the offer, but Michael hums as if considering his options.

“I don’t know,” he says, turning to Ashton with a half-smirk on his face. “I’m still trying to calculate the odds of us crashing and burning alive.”

Ashton gasps dramatically, because he definitely takes offense to that. “How dare you insult my driving skills! You’ve been in a car with me before.”

“I know, I know. It was just a joke. Sort of.” Michael starts to walk to the other side of the car. Over his shoulder, he shouts, “Anyway, I call shotgun!”

“Sorry, Mike, but that seat’s reserved for the boy of honor,” Ashton says, just as Luke leans into his side. “Unless you were hoping to hold my hand while I drive?

Unsurprisingly, Michael rolls his eyes at that but climbs into the backseat nonetheless, muttering something about the two of them being unbelievably sappy. And it’s a claim that’s only _sort of_ true—well, maybe half true, since Ashton takes Luke’s hand and leads him to the passenger door. Okay, so it’s mostly true, now that Ashton is holding the door open for Luke as he sits down. He even shuts the door for the younger boy as if Luke couldn’t do it himself, but hey, Ashton loves to be a gentleman. Or, maybe he just loves spoiling Luke.

Or both. It’s definitely both.

The ride to Michael’s house is a relatively short one, but as a special treat and because Ashton can’t resist Luke’s pouty lip, they take a detour to Starbucks. Ashton doesn’t understand his boyfriend’s addiction to the stuff, but he doesn’t question it and keeps on driving after receiving their drinks.

Because they’re a bunch of geeks, the chatting in the car is just what you’d expect it to be: comics and superheroes. It’s amazing because Luke has somehow managed to get Michael hooked on _Young Avengers_ , too, even though the other boy never cared for comic books before. He does now, though, so he no longer complains about being unable to relate to the current conversation topic. Michael also tells Ashton about the supposedly hilarious story regarding World of Warcraft, even though Ashton gets lost after the first few seconds. But he laughs anyway, because Luke laughs and Michael does too, and Ashton couldn’t be happier.

As a matter of fact, Ashton is happy for a number of reasons. It’s been three and a half months since Formal night at his old high school. That’s about three and a half months since he graduated, as well as three and a half months since asking Luke to be his boyfriend. If he’s being honest, he’s a little surprised that they’re still dating—not because they’ve had terrible couple’s spats, no, definitely not. He’s just a bit shocked that an amazing boy like Luke still wants to be with him. It’s mainly because of his own low self-esteem, but recently he’s been working on that.

Luke makes Ashton happy and Ashton makes Luke happy. That’s why they’re still together right now, and from the way that things are going, what with Luke glancing over at him every other second with a wide grin on his face, Ashton guesses that they’re going to be together for a while. And honestly? He’s more than alright with that.

The only thing that _has_ changed is that it’s been a month and a half since Ashley left for university. Ashton misses her like crazy, but he no longer feels as if he’s been left behind by his best friend and sister. Now, he refuses to dwell on the distance between them and instead looks forward to the next time that she’ll visit home. The few Skype calls that they’ve had so far have definitely helped, Ashton has to admit.

What helps most of all is that Ashton still has friends such as Michael, who hangs out with him and Luke regularly ever since growing closer over the summer, and even Dylan, who now attends the theatre school in the city. Ashton has both of them and more, so he’s far from lonely.

When they arrive at Michael’s house, Ashton pulls up into the driveway with elegance, and he mentally high-fives himself for being such a great driver. Even Michael thanks him for not getting them killed as he gets out of the car. Before going inside, he turns back to them and says:

“We’re still on for pizza and video games this Friday night, right?”

Luke nods and gives him a thumbs up, whereas Ashton says through the window, “Sure, but this time you better have something else besides FIFA. Like, maybe we can try out that _Dragon Ball Z_ game that you have?”

At first it looks as if Michael will go on his usual rant about how it’s blasphemy that Ashton hates his favorite game, but eventually he just shrugs and replies casually, “You’ll get your ass kicked either way, but okay.”

Because he’s a traitor, Luke laughs at their friend’s words. At the same time, Ashton doesn’t doubt that, since he’s never been a huge fan of video games; but instead of admitting defeat early, he grins and says goodbye to Michael as Luke does the same. He waits until Michael has disappeared into the house before backing out of the driveway and heading down the street. Due to the direction that they’re going in, Ashton expects it when he sees Luke glancing at him in confusion.

“Ash?” Luke says, sounding just as confused as he looks. “My house is the other way…”

Ashton nods because he’s well aware of the fact that he’s going the wrong way. With a subtle blush, he answers, “I know, but I was hoping that we could take the long way home and drive around town for a while. Y’know, just so that I can have you to myself for a little while longer.”

He doesn’t need to turn his head to see Luke’s reaction to that. He feels it instead, when suddenly his hand that isn’t on the wheel is being embraced by Luke’s smaller one. A few seconds later Ashton actually does glance down, just as Luke’s fingers intertwine with his own. Ashton smiles at the sight and gives his boyfriend’s hand a gentle squeeze, before returning his eyes to the road ahead of them.

They go nowhere in particular, content with simply following wherever the road leads them. They pass many places that they know, such as the video shop that Ashton used to work at and the ice cream shop that Luke says his dad would always take him to, on the days that he didn’t have to work. They even pass the art school that Ashton has been considering enrolling into in the future, because he wants to become better at drawing and perhaps eventually publish his own comic. He isn’t too sure of how or _if_ he’ll get there, but he’s thinking about trying and Luke has been encouraging him a lot.

Ashton has been encouraging Luke as well, but in a totally different way. They don’t talk a whole lot while he drives, but they do listen to one of Ashton’s playlists. As Ashton sings along to Mayday Parade at the top of his lungs, he pretends not to notice Luke singing the lyrics under his breath.

Luke still doesn’t sing these days, but he’s starting to. Slowly, but surely. Sometimes Ashton catches him humming a tune or whispering the lyrics while doing his homework or some other task, and Ashton encourages him every single step of the way. He does this by singing to the songs, too, in hopes that one day Luke will join him.

But for now, Ashton is content with little moments like this: Luke singing quietly to himself, his warm hand clenching Ashton’s, and the sunset casting an orange hue on his beautiful face. When the song finally ends, Luke wears the tiniest of smiles, barely noticeable but still there. Ashton thinks that as long as Luke is happy, then he can take on anything.

***

They arrive at Luke’s house shortly before he’s supposed to be home for dinner. Ashton doesn’t pull into the driveway, though, since there’s another car parked there already. Luke explains that the car belongs to Ben, even though Ashton already knows that. Over the summer, he had the chance to meet both of Luke’s older brothers. It was honestly terrifying at first, but then it just ended up being silly, because both brothers love to pick on Luke as well as each other. They were pretty nice to Ashton, though.

It’s silent in the car for the first few seconds. Then, Luke turns to Ashton without letting go of his hand and asks:

“Wanna come inside for just a few minutes?”

And it’s a lovely request, which is why Ashton smiles. It’s kind of a sad smile, though. Luke obviously notices, so Ashton brings his other hand up to cup his boyfriend’s cheek, his thumb gently caressing the skin in order to reassure him.

“Can’t. Gotta head back soon so that mum can get to the diner.” He sees the flash of disappointment on Luke’s face, so he adds, “Next time, though. I promise.” Even so, Luke doesn’t stop frowning for some reason, which brings Ashton to ask: “What is it?”

It takes a moment for Luke to gather his thoughts on what he wants to say, but unlike before, Ashton doesn’t automatically assumes the worst. He’s come to learn that doing that solves nothing, and it’s hardly ever as bad as he thinks. Thus, he waits patiently until Luke finally speaks up; and when his boyfriend actually _does_ speak, he talks so quickly that Ashton can hardly understand what he’s getting at.

“I’ve, um, I’ve been thinking lately. About stuff. Big stuff. And, like, it’s stuff that I think you would enjoy, too? Er, I hope.”

Ashton merely frowns in confusion as Luke nervously chews on his lip. When he comes to the conclusion that his brain can’t possibly process whatever the hell was just said, Ashton laughs softly and admits, “I’m a bit lost, babe. Explain? A bit slower this time, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s…” Luke trails off for what seems like years. Eventually, he lets out a small sigh, shaking his head. “Never mind. It’s nothing... for now.”

But of course Ashton isn’t quite convinced. “Are you sure?”

However, because Luke nods and drops the subject, Ashton will, too. For now, at least. Although it’s weird, it turns out not to be a bad thing at all, because suddenly Luke is leaning forward and connecting their lips. There probably isn’t anything in the world that would make Ashton refuse a kiss from his boyfriend, so it’s basically automatic when he kisses Luke back.

Kissing Luke in a car right outside of his house almost feels like a scene from a ‘90s teen movie, so in other words, Ashton loves it. What’s even better is that when he starts to pull away, Luke desperately leans closer, chasing his lips and kissing him just a bit more passionately. He doesn’t know where this sudden yearning has come from, but he definitely doesn’t mind the sliding of Luke’s tongue against his own or Luke’s hands clenching his hoodie.

Ashton is completely breathless by the time that the kiss is actually broken and Luke leans back a little, his forehead resting against Ashton’s and his eyes still closed. Somehow, despite Ashton’s heart beating loudly in his ears, he’s able to hear the small sigh that comes from Luke’s lips.

“Yeah. I’m sure,” the younger boy whispers.

He pecks Ashton’s lips once more, twice more, but manages to restrain himself from kissing the older boy a third time. To be honest, Ashton kind of wishes that he’d gone through with it.

Instead of saying that aloud, he nuzzles Luke with a small smile on his face and says, “Okay, so I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Mhm,” Luke murmurs. This time he doesn’t hold himself back and kisses Ashton one final time, and when he pulls away to get out of the car at last, Ashton’s mouth is tingling and he can almost still feel the touch of those lips against his. Almost as if he knows the effect that he still has on the older boy, Luke turns around and with a sultry look in his eyes, says, “Goodnight, Ash.”

He shuts the car door and jogs up to the front porch after that, while Ashton continues staring at him through the windshield with wide eyes and a deep blush on his cheeks. Whatever the hell that was, he decides to question it later, because right now he needs to get home and it wouldn’t be pretty to arrive with an obvious boner.

***

As soon as Ashton steps into the front door, his mother is already on her way out.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says as she hurriedly puts on a trench coat over her waitress uniform. She always thanks Ashton for babysitting even though he’s been doing it for years now, so he long since stopped telling her that she doesn’t need to thank him at all. Instead, he smiles and opens the front door again for her to leave. “The casserole is already in the oven. All that you have to do is take it out once it’s finished.”

Ashton nods at her instructions and just before she bolts through the door, Anne places a big kiss on Ashton’s cheek and reminds him not to let Harry eat so much because the boy always does that until he feels sick. Ashton promises that he won’t, and closes the door behind her.

The first thing that he wants to do is get out of his clothes and change into something more comfortable. On his way to the staircase, he’s joined by their puppy, Indie, who just loves to follow him everywhere. That’s yet another thing that’s different now: they’ve got a new edition to the family. It’s all thanks to Ashton’s uncle, who already has more dogs than necessary; so once one of those dogs gave birth to a litter of puppies, he gave one away for them to keep.

Ashton smiles and kneels down to scratch behind the dog’s ear. “Hi, Indie! Did ya miss me? I hope that you were a good girl today.”

The puppy responds by licking his hand once, but then she starts to whine and circle his legs. That usually only means one thing, so Ashton shouts:

“Harry! Can you take Indie outside? I think she needs to go.”

From the living room, Harry shouts, “Okay!” over the sound of the loud television. It sounds like he’s watching _The Adventures of Blinky Bill_ , which just so happens to be one of Ashton’s favorite cartoons from his childhood. As he jogs up the stairs, he makes the decision to come back down after changing his clothes to join his baby brother on the couch.

It isn’t until Ashton has successfully changed that he checks his phone and realizes that he had received a text from Luke a little while earlier. It was probably while he was driviing home, and since he’s a very responsible person, of course he didn’t check. He does now, though, but tilts his head in confusion when he reads what the Luke has sent him.

> **From: Lukey** **❤ (6:15 PM)**
> 
> Check your pocket :-)

Obviously, Ashton has no clue as to what that could mean, but he curiously checks his jean pockets anyway. And because he finds nothing in there but his wallet, he scratches his head in confusion until he remembers the hoodie and checks its pocket, too.

Now, if there were hidden cameras within the bedroom, then Ashton’s facial expression when he finds what’s in the pocket would definitely become the next internet meme. The expression remains on his face even as his slightly shaking hands pick up his phone again, and he immediately calls Luke without a second thought.

After the thousandth ring (not really, Ashton is just being dramatic as usual), Luke _finally_ answers in a rather cocky tone:

“Miss me already? You’re so clingy.”

“Luke.” Ashton speaks slowly, and completely ignores the teasing. “Does you sliding a condom into my pocket mean what I think that it means?”

There’s a long pause, and every second that passes confirms the question even before Luke answers carefully: “Depends. What do you think it means?”

Ashton takes a seat on the edge of his mattress as he gathers his jumbled thoughts. “Well, I assume that it means you’re ready to… take things to a whole new level. Are you?”

“Yeah, I am.” Luke’s reply is instant this time around, but then he quickly adds in a bashful tone, “Um, if _you_ want to…”

“God, Luke, you have no idea.” Ashton giggles softly because he just can’t help it, and the butterflies in his tummy are fluttering drastically at the mere thought of doing this type of thing with Luke for the first time. He flips the small piece of foil in his hand over and over again, before jokingly saying, “Might need a much larger condom, though.”

The slightly annoyed groan from Luke is very much anticipated. “Please don’t be _that_ guy.”

“Okay, okay,” Ashton laughs.

It’s an exciting thing to think about, though. So far, they’ve been taking things slow—like, _really_ slow, as in they’ve given each other “handies” a couple of times and that’s basically it. Ashton thinks that going at a slower pace is necessary, given Luke’s traumatic experience. Never in a million years would he want to hurt Luke in any way, so they haven’t been rushing things.

In fact, it’s only been a month since the first time that they got each other off, and that time had been on accident. At the time, they were making out on the couch at Luke’s house and completely ignoring the movie playing in the background. They could do that because his parents always get home at a certain time, so they weren’t worried at all about getting caught. Luke had straddled Ashton and they were kissing each other so heatedly, the younger boy slowly grinding in his lap and Ashton’s hands kneading Luke’s back beneath his shirt.

Somehow, slow grinding turned into dry humping, and all of a sudden Luke was coming in his pants. It surprised both of them, and the sight of Luke’s brows knitted together as well as the feeling of his entire body shuddering from the pleasure, is what made _Ashton_ come, too. As they sat on the couch afterwards, struggling to catch their breath and avoiding eye contact, Luke suddenly started to laugh. It was random, but Ashton began laughing, too, and he was so happy that he didn’t mind riding home on his bike in his sticky underwear.

After that day, they made the decision to start having sex. They were both ready for it, both so eager to explore each other’s bodies, but they’ve been going about it at their own pace. The fact that Luke is ready to jump from overly-eager handjobs to full-on anal sex is a bit worrying, but Ashton trusts that they’ll go about this the right way, too. He knows that he’s definitely ready, and has to admit that he’s gotten off to the thought of being _inside_ of Luke many times, but this has to be a mutual decision, so a discussion is necessary.

Following the brief silence, Luke clears his throat. “I, um… I tried to tell you earlier, but couldn’t figure out how to word it. Basically, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and… it’s something that I really want to do with you, Ash.”

Those words alone fill Ashton with such a good, warm feeling. Knowing that Luke wants to do this with him specifically shouldn’t be a big deal, considering the fact that they’re boyfriends and they love each other, but still. It’s a wonderful feeling nonetheless.

Sadly, Ashton doesn’t get the opportunity to reply to that. As soon as he opens his mouth to speak, his bedroom door comes bursting open. In the doorway stands a small boy that Ashton loves very much, but right now he’s glaring daggers at him for obvious reasons.

“ _Harry_ ,” Ashton says, sounding just as annoyed as he looks. “We talked about knocking, didn’t we?”

The small boy doesn’t look all that apologetic for interrupting his big brother’s conversation and invading his privacy, but most children don’t feel remorse in these situations anyway. Still, Harry attempts to close the door and try knocking this time, as if that’ll change anything.

Ashton shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter now. What did you want?”

“Indie peed on the kitchen floor,” he answers casually.

“What?” Ashton instantly begins to frown. “But… I thought that you took her outside!”

Harry nods. “I did.”

“And?”

“She wanted to come back inside.”

If there was ever a bad time to get a headache, it’s now. But that’s precisely what begins to happen, and Ashton sighs as he rubs his temples with his free hand, since his other one is still clutching the phone.

In an exasperated tone, he asks, “Where’s Lauren?”

“Still at her friend’s sleepover party, remember?” Harry says it as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, so it’s disappointing that Ashton would forget. And, that’s so annoying because what right does he have to be disappointed, when _he’s_ the one who didn’t leave Indie outside long enough for her to empty her bladder?

There’s no use arguing with a nine year old, though, and Ashton knows that he can’t get out of this one. So, he stands up with another sigh.

“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute. Take Indie outside again, _please_.” When his brother nods and retreats to do as he’s told, Ashton turns his attention back to the phone, hoping that Luke hasn’t hung up on him. “Babe?”

“Still here,” Luke replies, and Ashton is filled with temporary relief.

“I’m gonna have to call you back later. Sorry.” He pauses, sighing once more. “Also, we’ll… continue talking about this tomorrow, okay? In person.”

Thankfully, Luke doesn’t seem to be upset at all. He simply answers with: “Alright. Tell little Harry that I said hi, and good luck cleaning up Indie’s pee.” He laughs at the same time that Ashton does, then adds, “I love you.”

“Love you more,” Ashton replies with automatically, but he means it more than he could ever hope to convey it with words.

Luke snorts. “Incorrect and cheesy.”

Which, you know, is _very_ rude. So Ashton gasps. “Excuse me!” And Luke laughs at him, as usual. “I hope that you know I’m flipping you off right now.”

“Sure you are,” Luke says, still laughing a bit. It makes Ashton smile. “So. Tomorrow for sure, right?”

It doesn’t take Ashton long at all to understand what he’s referring to.

“Mhm. Tomorrow for sure.”

By the time that they end the phone call, Ashton no longer cares that he has to clean up dog pee _and_ make sure that the casserole hasn’t burned. His mind is mainly focused on the exciting yet nerve wracking events that will soon occur, and he honestly can’t wait.

***

The good news is that they really do talk about it the next day. It happens after Ashton picks Luke up from school again and takes him to Starbucks, since Ashton is still unable to deny Luke’s request. But this time they go inside and choose a small table in one of the corners of the shop, so that no one will hear them and they won’t be interrupted.

They talk about it extensively, discussing things that they’re comfortable enough and very eager to try, as well as things that they aren’t—not just for Luke’s sake, but for Ashton’s as well. They also talk about when they would like to do it, where, and obviously, how they plan to be safe about it because safe sex is the best type of sex.

Of course there’s plenty of blushing going on during this conversation, especially on Luke’s part, but he takes it just as seriously. After all, if they’re mature enough to be having sex, then they should be mature enough to talk about it. And since they _are_ mature enough, then they do. It’s nice because, after they finish their discussion and spend the rest of the time sharing a really big cookie, it somehow feels as if they’ve grown just a little closer.

Now, the bad news is that they don’t get a chance to do it when they want to. As a matter of fact, over two weeks go by since the day that they talked about it at Starbucks, and they _still_ haven’t gotten the chance to go through with it. Part of the reason is that they’re both so busy. Luke is kind of busy with school things, while Ashton has been working longer hours at Clifford’s Comic Books, now that he’s out of school and has more time on his hands. The extra money comes in handy, but the consequence is that he gets to spend less time with Luke.

However, the main reason that they haven’t gone through with it yet is simply this: the whole world is against them. Well, at least that’s what it feels like sometimes. It’s hard enough to get some alone time with each other, and when they finally do, things still don’t go their way. Like, every single time that they _try_ to have sex, they’re either interrupted by someone or unprepared (it’s not _Ashton’s_ fault that he forgot to buy lube, it’s everyone else’s for keeping him busy!).

Either way, it’s not as easy as they would like for it to be, and just when Ashton thinks that it’s finally going to happen, they’re interrupted once again as if it were some running gag and their life is a sitcom. What makes it worse is that they’re not _almost_ caught in the act, they _are_ caught, right in the middle of Luke pressing open mouthed kisses to Ashton’s neck and Ashton’s hands shoved down the back of Luke’s jeans.

But to be fair, Ashton could have sworn that his mother wouldn’t be home for at least another hour, since she always takes so long at the grocery store. He could’ve also sworn that the door was locked, but apparently he’s wrong about both of those things, since the door swings open and Anne is currently standing in the doorway. Of course she trails off in the middle of her sentence when she sees the state of her shirtless son and his boyfriend.

Thankfully, removing Ashton’s shirt is as far as they managed to go. He wouldn’t know what to do if that weren’t the case.

“M-Mum!” he squeaks in surprise, which also makes Luke squeak, and the younger boy nearly falls off the bed in his attempt to roll off of Ashton. He doesn’t notice it, though, because now his mind is only focusing on two things: how embarrassed he feels in this moment, and the fact that no one in this fucking house knows how to _knock_.

Other than looking surprised, it’s hard to decipher what else his mother might be feeling. Especially when she clears her throat and says in what may be the world’s most casual tone:

“Whoops. Just wanted to know if you would eat some of the brownies with me, if I baked them. Although if you needed anything else, such as… I don’t know, maybe some condoms, then I’d have no issue getting that for you, too.”

Ashton honest-to-god facepalms, because now she’s obviously trying to embarrass him on purpose. A small part of himself almost wishes that she were the other type of parent who would get angry at him or something, because right now, that sounds much better than being teased in front of his boyfriend about _condoms_. Which, you know, he already has access to. Because he’s a responsible young man, thank you very much.

Once he’s finally able to speak, Ashton grumbles, “Thank you, but no thank you. To both offers.” He pauses when he suddenly remembers that there’s a third person in the room who hasn’t said anything at all, so Ashton glances down at the younger boy who is currently hiding his red face in Ashton’s neck. “Luke? Do you want any brownies?”

The blond boy quickly shakes his head but doesn’t look up, so Ashton will take that as a definite no.

“Welp, that settles it, no brownies needed here,” Ashton says, speaking a little faster than normally. “Thanks again, mum, and please shut the door behind you on your way out, if you don’t mind.”

Ashton pretends that he doesn’t notice the smile that threatens to break through his mother’s casual façade, just before she leaves the room and shuts the door behind her as requested. Only now does Ashton feel like he can breathe properly again, but he knows that his face is still red—it probably shows on his bare chest, too. _Ugh_.

“Never before have I lost a boner so damn fast,” Ashton says, sighing. It’s partially true, and partially just to make fun of himself and the situation in general. However, Luke doesn’t laugh at the joke, and when Ashton nudges the other boy so that Luke’s face is no longer hiding in his neck, he still refuses to meet Ashton’s eye. That’s worrisome, so Ashton asks: “What’s wrong? Well, aside from the obvious.”

As he nervously chews on his bottom lip, Luke mutters, “Do you… do you think that she’s angry at us? Like, what if she doesn’t want me to come over here anymore… or, what if she calls my parents and tells them what we were doing? Do you think she would?”

When Luke finally does glance up to meet Ashton’s gaze, he looks legitimately frightened that that scenario is exactly what’s going to happen. Ashton almost wants to laugh at first, because of course none of that is true, and none of it will happen. Luke has every reason to worry, though, so Ashton doesn’t make fun of him. Instead, he smiles softly and strokes Luke’s reddened cheek with the back of his hand.

“Nah, my mum isn’t like that, I promise. You don’t have to worry about anything,” he says, and he can tell that Luke is beginning to relax a little. “She was just teasing us, ‘cause that’s the type of mum that she is. I’m sure she trusts that we’re being safe and all that—also, she’s caught me doing much more embarrassing things that I’d rather not mention…”

Because Luke begins to smile, Ashton will take that as a job well done. He leans closer and kisses Luke in a manner that’s much more gentle and slow than the kisses that they were giving each other before being interrupted. _Again_.

That’s exactly why Luke begins to frown once more, even though Ashton’s kisses usually keep him smiling for much longer than this.

“At this rate, we’ll probably never get to do it,” Luke mumbles. The pout on his face is beyond adorable, but Ashton can’t appreciate it at the moment because he feels the same frustration that his boyfriend does now.

While Ashton slides his shirt back over his head, he says, “We will, Luke. I mean it. We just… have to find the perfect time to do it. Like, the next time that we know we’ll be alone for more than just a few minutes, or an hour. Because I don’t want to rush this, y’know? I want for us to be able to just… take our time and do it at our own pace. Without interruptions.”

Luke flops down at Ashton’s side and squeezes a pillow to his chest. With a frustrated sigh, he asks, “And how are we going to do that? Everyone walks in on us.”

“Well…” Ashton trails off as he tries to come up with a solution. A short moment later it’s as if a lightbulb has just been turned on in his head, and he smiles at the boy lying next to him before announcing: “I think I’ve just figured it out.”

***

A few days later, Ashton’s genius plan has commenced.

It’s the weekend now—Sunday, to be exact. Anne doesn’t have to go to work in the evening because it’s her night off, and since they haven’t done anything special together in quite a while, she decides to take the family to the beach for the day.

However, Ashton has elected to stay behind because he doesn’t ‘feel well’, which is obviously a total lie. But it’s a necessary lie, so that morning while everyone else is rushing around the house to get ready, Ashton stays lazily on the couch with a bunch of blankets thrown over him, as if he’s freezing. It’s an age old excuse that he used to use whenever he didn’t want to go to school, and since it sometimes worked back then, he knows that it’ll work now.

At the same time, as he listens to his siblings talk excitedly about the beach, Ashton can’t help but feel just a little guilty about the fact that he’s staying home just to have sex with his boyfriend. Okay, so technically it’s much more than that, since he and Luke have been planning to do this for what feels like a really long time now, and it’s not just about wanting to experience penetration. It’s about wanting to share this special thing with each other, it’s about the strong love and trust between them that slowly built up over the months and amplified the night that they officially became boyfriends. It’s about all of that and more.

And, okay, so it really is mostly about them just wanting to bone each other, but details are just details.

Even so, the guilt still sits in the pit of Ashton’s stomach. He tells himself that it’ll go away as soon as Luke arrives at his front door, which shouldn’t be too long from now, so he’s internally screaming for his family to hurry the fuck up and _leave_. Otherwise, they may catch on to Ashton’s lie. Of course, he could always just say that he invited Luke over because ‘love heals sickness’, but he’d much rather not have to do that at all.

“Promise that you’ll take a picture of the sand castle for me?” Ashton asks as Harry comes to hug him goodbye. They’re standing by the front door, because even though Ashton is supposed to be ill, he never misses a chance to properly say goodbye.

Harry nods as he pulls away from the hug. “Mmkay, I will. I’ll bring you back a jellyfish, too.”

Ashton almost starts to explain that that’s not how it works, but seeing the determined look on his little brother’s face, he can’t help but smile and nod. With his plastic shovel and pail in hand, Harry runs out of the door and down to the sidewalk where the car awaits.

“I definitely won’t bring you back a jellyfish, but I can bring you back something that’s actually possible, like pretty seashells,” Lauren tells him. “Then you can use them to make something cool, like a necklace or bracelet, I don’t know.”

Ashton snorts. “You mean that I’ll make a necklace or bracelet and then give it to you, since I’m the best at making them?”

Lauren just shrugs with a hopeful smile on her face, since that’s exactly what she wants. And since Ashton likes to think of himself as the world’s greatest big brother, he decides that he’ll make her another accessory to add to her collection. For now, he pulls her into a hug and waves goodbye as she joins Harry down by the car.

“Remember not to let Indie eat anything that she shouldn’t, okay?” Anne says, as she quickly leans forward to kiss Ashton’s forehead. Honestly, he’s eighteen years old now and he’ll be nineteen in just a little over three months, but sometimes she still treats him like a child. Nonetheless, he promises to keep an eye on the dog and also promises that he’ll get plenty of rest to feel better.

Although Ashton is probably just seeing things, there’s a very brief but strange moment where Anne turns around as soon as she’s out of the door, and with what appears to be a knowing smile on her lips, she says:

“Have fun and be safe, alright?”

It’s an odd thing to tell someone when they’re sick—or _pretending_ to be sick—but Ashton nods regardless and decides that he won’t dwell on his mother’s words. Instead, he watches from the window as the car finally drives off.

Evidently, his family left at just the right time, because another car pulls up in front of the house about three minutes later, and Ashton’s heart almost jumps from his chest when Luke steps out of the passenger side. He says something to Liz before shutting the door behind him, and waves as she drives off. The younger boy appears to be just as excited as he runs up to the front door.

Ashton opens the door to greet Luke before he even gets a chance to knock. Because they’re finally alone at last, he greets his boyfriend with a warm hug and a big kiss on the lips, then pulls him into the home so that they can start their day of _fun_.

Of course they don’t jump into having sex immediately. Now that they pretty much have the entire day to spend together, there’s plenty of time to do the main thing that they’ve got planned. However, Ashton has other stuff planned as well, because he really does want to just hang out with Luke and behave as the world’s sappiest couple, now that there isn’t anyone around to interrupt nor judge them.

So, they start the morning off with a bit of breakfast. It’s nothing fancy, just some milk and waffles while they watch morning cartoons together. Luke insists that Ashton doesn’t change the channel, so he doesn’t. He keeps it on the cartoons and leans over every once in a while to kiss Luke’s cheek or touch him in some other way, because he craves it. Also because there’s no holding back today, and they’ve both agreed to that.

One of the best things about having Luke as a boyfriend is that Ashton’s entire family loves him, including Indie. Therefore, it’s no surprise when the puppy figures out that he’s here and abandons her doggy bed to come and greet him. She nuzzles the boy’s legs and whines until Luke picks her up, placing the small dog onto his lip. Although it’s cute as fuck, Ashton almost resents the puppy, because he’d wanted to rest his head on Luke’s lap, too. Oh well, it no longer matters when Luke rests his head on Ashton’s shoulder and nuzzles him.

Eventually, Luke gets bored of the cartoons and suggests:

“Let’s watch a movie.”

Ashton leans back into the couch cushions. “Okay. What do you wanna watch?”

“I can choose?”

“Mhm.”

“Any movie that I want?”

“Any.”

The wide grin that spreads on Luke’s face is nothing but adorable. He carefully lifts the puppy from his lap and sets her down on the cushion next to him, then hops up from the couch and scurries over to the stack of DVDs next to the television. He gets down on his knees and leans over to read the titles out loud, giving Ashton a perfect view of his little bum. Ashton has to wonder if he’s bent over like that on purpose, especially when Luke starts to wiggle his hips as he comes to a decision.

Whether it’s done intentionally or not, he’s such a tease and Ashton unconsciously licks his lips. He almost starts to look away when he realizes that he’s staring, but then he remembers that they’re completely alone and if there’s anyone who should be allowed to have this view of his boy, then it’s definitely Ashton.

“Fuck yes, we’re totally watching this!” Luke announces, holding a case up in the air. Ashton doesn’t get to see which one it is, since the boy crawls over to the television and starts inserting the movie into the DVD player. When he’s done, he gets up and runs back over to the couch. “We’re watching _The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl_.”

Ashton honestly had no idea that they owned this particular movie, but he nods and reaches for Luke’s hand to pull him back down onto the couch for a cuddle. They lie down for maximum comfort with Luke positioned in front of Ashton and their legs tangled together. With a happy sigh, Ashton drapes his arm over the other boy’s waist because he knows that Luke likes for him to do that when they cuddle. As expected, Luke leans back against Ashton’s chest so that they fit together perfectly.

Right as the movie starts, Luke turns his head to look back at Ashton. “Wanna make out during the scary parts?” he asks, wiggling his brows suggestively.

Ashton stares at him for a moment. “The scary parts. Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Are you sure you’re not thinking of… I don’t know, _Jaws_ or something?”

When Ashton starts to laugh, Luke playfully hits him in the arm and says, “No, no, listen! Some parts really are scary, like just a tiny bit, but still.”

“Mhm,” he says, nodding and trying not to laugh again. “Whatever you say, Lukey boy.”

Luke pretends to be really offended by that, so he proceeds to stare at the television screen and give Ashton the silent treatment. It hardly lasts for even five minutes, since all that Ashton has to do is tickle the boy’s tummy until Luke is giggling and trying to make him stop. And since Ashton knows how to be merciful, he does.

After that, they watch the movie in peace and occasionally do give each other kisses. Ashton had nearly forgotten how ridiculous this movie was, but he decides that it’s a nice change from their usual selection of movies. Usually whenever they watch movies together, it’s either Marvel or DC. They’ve even watched a few Dragon Ball movies suggested to them by Michael. Other than that, Ashton can’t recall watching anything _this_ different—well, except for _Mean Girls_ , which Luke loves a lot, for some odd reason.

It’s kind of funny, how Ashton ends up being so absorbed in the silly movie that he doesn’t notice Luke’s silence. The other boy typically quotes every movie and he had been doing it up until a while ago, but Ashton doesn’t take notice of Luke’s silence or his lack of giggling at the funny parts until the movie is nearly over. In fact, the only reason that he actually _does_ notice is when he mimics a corny joke from the film, but Luke doesn’t laugh like he usually does. So Ashton leans over and— _ah_ , of course Luke has fallen asleep.

It shouldn’t be surprising, because this is what always happens when they cuddle for longer than a few minutes. He just gets so comfy in Ashton’s embrace that he falls asleep, and although it’s flattering, this means that Ashton is now alone. He doesn’t want to be alone, especially since this is their special day and they’re supposed to be spending it _together_ , but at the same time, he can’t bring himself to rouse the other boy from his sleep because he adores the peacefulness on Luke’s face. It’s pathetic, yes, but Ashton has always been weak for Luke.

Only, now he has no idea what to do. When the credits start rolling and there isn’t any reason to continue staring at the screen, he begins to weigh his options and finds that there aren’t too many. He can either continue lying there and let Luke sleep, or he can wake the boy and risk dealing with his wrath. Luke hates being woken up and tends to be very grumpy, which is something that Ashton learned the first night that they slept together. So, disturbing his sleep isn’t a very likeable option. Ashton knows that he’ll get bored as he waits for Luke to wake up, though. It would be better to busy himself with something, and he thinks that he knows exactly what he’ll do, now that he has the chance.

Almost like a ninja—or, as close to a ninja as he can be—Ashton slowly extracts himself from the cuddle and starts to get up from the couch, trying his hardest not to wake his sleeping boyfriend. But, then he remembers that Luke is an incredibly heavy sleeper, so he gets up normally and starts to make his way towards the staircase.

Indie, who automatically starts to follow him, barks for his attention. Ashton raises a finger to his lips and says, “Shh! I’ll be back in a sec,” as if the puppy will understand a single word that he said. She doesn’t bark again, though, and simply tilts her head to the side as she watches him disappear to the second floor.

When Ashton returns a moment later as promised, he’s carrying with him one of his sketchbooks, a ton of coloring pencils, and his ‘lucky’ No. 2 pencil that he uses to sketch with. To no surprise at all, Luke is still knocked out even though the movie has returned to the menu screen and is a little bit too loud, so Ashton shuts it off before settling on the floor in front of the coffee table. He’s sitting directly across from Luke on the other side so that he has a nice view, and he’s smiling as he picks up his pencil because sketching Luke in person is always much easier than using a picture for reference.

This is a piece that he’s been working on over the past couple of days, whenever he actually finds the time to send down and draw. He works slowly because he wants it to be perfect, but also because he keeps changing his mind on the design itself. He thinks that it’s perfect now, though, and he can’t wait to surprise Luke with it. After all, it _is_ a drawing of Luke, but it’s not just any drawing or fancy sketch. It has the perfect twist to it, one that he knows Luke will love.

Hopefully. That’s what Ashton is hoping. But although he’s nervous to show it to his boyfriend, he’s confident in his work because Luke loves even the simplest of sketches that Ashton can create in just five minutes. So, he keeps that thought in mind as he quietly works.

“Ash?”

Ashton freezes in place when he hears his name being murmured from just a few feet away. And sure enough, when he glances up he’s staring into two tired but confused baby blue eyes. Luke waking up out of nowhere was definitely not the plan, but now it seems to be the case.

The younger boy yawns and stretches his long limbs before asking: “What’re you doing over there?”

“Just… sketching,” Ashton answers slowly, and then he resumes his work as casually as possible. Even though it’s so close to being finished, it isn’t, and he really doesn’t want Luke to see it before it has been completed, because that would ruin the surprise.

Luke doesn’t seem to have caught on yet, since he blinks a couple of times and looks like he’s about to fall asleep again. But instead of doing that, he yawns again and begins to shift into a sitting position.

“Stop moving!” Ashton says before he can stop himself. Oops.

“Wait…” The confused frown on Luke’s face slowly morphs into pleasant surprise. “Are you drawing _me_? You are, huh?” When Ashton doesn’t reply to that, Luke makes a sound that can only be described as being gleeful. But what comes out of his mouth is a small laugh and: “Drawing me while I’m asleep… don’t you think that that’s a little creepy?”

“Shut up, dammit, before I give you a funny mustache,” Ashton grumbles. He can’t help but smile at the teasing, though. 

“Fine,” Luke replies. He rests his head on his palm and positions his legs so that he’s posing, despite Ashton’s warning for him to stay still. In the sassiest tone that he can manage, he says, “Draw me like one of your French girls, then.”

Ashton huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “But you’re more beautiful than any French girl,” he murmurs.

Luke goes silent for a brief moment, and when Ashton spares a glance in his direction, he can tell that the other boy is just a tad bit flustered by the comment. Seeing that makes Ashton smiles even more, because a flustered Luke is his favorite Luke.

“That’s a pretty bold statement,” Luke says at last, speaking rather quietly due to his current flustered state.

Ashton shrugs. “Well, I’m a pretty bold person.”

He doesn’t get a snarky reply to that, but he already knew that he wouldn’t, either.

Luke doesn’t take his eyes off Ashton as he works. In fact, watching the older boy create art is one of his favorite things to do. He admitted that himself, one ordinary day when they were upstairs in Ashton’s bedroom, listening to music and doing nothing in particular. It was the first time that Ashton had sketched Luke’s face while the younger boy was actually in his presence. He remembers Luke saying, out of nowhere, that he could sit there and watch Ashton’s hand glide across the paper for hours. Although it’s been a while since that day, Ashton also remembers how those words had made his cheeks go red hot.

It’s not so different, even now. As Ashton adds the finishing touches, there’s a permanent blush on his face because he knows that Luke is watching him. And, it’s incredibly difficult not to screw up because of this. But to some miracle, he manages not to mess up at all, and once he’s finished, he exhales a relieved sigh and smiles victoriously.

“Are you done yet?” Luke asks for the third time, because even though he loves to watch Ashton draw, the suspense is honestly killing him.

Instead of ignoring the question like the previous two times, Ashton announces excitedly, “I am. Wanna see it now?”

“Yes!” Luke answers in an instant. He scrambles into a sitting position and pats the cushion next to him, even though Ashton is already standing up and moving towards the couch. Apparently, he isn’t moving fast enough, because Luke chants, “Show me, show me!”

Ashton has to giggle at that. “Patience, young Skywalker.”

The imminent frown means that Luke doesn’t appreciate his joke, so Ashton rolls his eyes and plops down next to the impatient boy. Because he’s still so very nervous about this, he has to take a deep breath before actually showing the art work to Luke. Okay, so he ends up taking a few deep breaths, but maybe he takes one too many, because suddenly Luke’s hand is resting on his knee and the blond boy is smiling at him in such a reassuring way, that all of the nervousness seems to die down in an instant.

Ashton reopens the notebook and slides it onto Luke’s lap. “Here ya go. A full body drawing of my favorite person.”

The comment about being his favorite person makes Luke smile even wider, if that’s possible. But the smile turns into something more when Luke’s eyes land on the art work before him, and Ashton holds his breath for every second that passes while Luke takes in all the details of the drawing. It feels as if his lungs are going to burst by the time that Luke finally reacts, but in reality, only a few seconds of silence have actually gone by.

“You drew me as a superhero,” Luke mutters, almost in disbelief. He looks up at Ashton with wide, bright eyes and repeats: “You drew me as a superhero?”

Ashton nods, then swallows down the nervousness so that he can actually reply. “I did. So… what do you think? I even listed your super powers over there on the side of the page, since I figured that you might like that…”

“I love it,” is what Luke says not even a second after Ashton finishes that sentence. The smile that he’s wearing now contains so much gratitude and admiration that it would make Ashton go weak in the knees, if he were standing up. Good thing he isn’t.

“I really, really love it!” Luke says once more, and he keeps looking back and forth between the cool drawing of himself and Ashton’s face. “This is so fucking amazing, Ashton, I can’t even tell you… oh my god, I know exactly what I’ll do with this. I’ll get it laminated—no wait, I’ll put it in a picture frame! Then I’ll hang it on the wall in my room. It’ll definitely outshine the posters, but eh, it’s necessary. Wait. I am allowed to keep this, right?”

“Of course you are! I drew it for _you_ , after all,” Ashton says, giggling. He clears his throat and tries to be serious again. “Um, so you really… you really like it that much? Or, are you just being a little sarcastic about the whole picture frame thing?”

Luke instantly frowns at those words, and Ashton bites the inside of his cheek because he knows that he’s said the wrong thing. Maybe Luke isn’t being sarcastic at all and Ashton is just being his usual, insecure and shitty self, but now that he’s basically accused Luke of being sarcastic, the younger boy might be angry and won’t want the picture anymore. Maybe he’ll decide that he doesn’t want the stupid gift, because Ashton never knows how to take a simple fucking compliment.

“What? Why would I ever...” Luke trails off, then, and suddenly it’s as if he knows exactly what’s going on within Ashton’s jumbled up mind. His expression softens and he shifts on the couch so that his entire body is facing Ashton. The older boy doesn’t resist the hand that cups his cheek, nor does he resist the inevitable, when Luke leans forward to kiss him softly.

No, Ashton absolutely melts into this kiss, allowing Luke to pull him closer and suck him into this bliss of lips against lips. He thinks that if Luke ever wanted the suck the life out of him this way, he wouldn’t do a damn thing to stop it, either. The thought of giving all of himself to Luke makes him moan into the other boy’s mouth, but then Luke is pulling away and taking all of his warmth with him, and Ashton has never felt so cold without those lips against his skin and that hand on his cheek. Maybe it’s the same for Luke, because he pecks Ashton’s lips one more time and stays close so that they’re still breathing in each other’s air.

Ashton opens his eyes and gazes back into the lovely one before him.

“This is the greatest thing that anyone has ever given to me,” Luke whispers against his lips, and Ashton is able to taste those words on the very tip of his tongue. They taste very sweet. He likes it. “And I really do mean that, Ash… thank you.”

There is genuine truth within Luke’s tone, his eyes, his everything. He means what he says and Ashton feels stupid to have ever doubted that, even though he was mainly doubting himself. However, he can proudly say that that’s no longer the case. Ashton believes Luke’s words, and he’s so damn happy that Luke actually loves what he spent hours and hours working on. Knowing this makes him feel invincible.

“If you don’t believe me,” Luke goes on, and he briefly glances down at Ashton’s lips. “Then I’ll use my hypersuasion powers to make you believe me.”

Ashton snorts, then replies: “You threatening me, Luke?”

It shouldn’t be a turn-on when Luke shrugs and answers, “Maybe,” in such a daring tone. It definitely shouldn’t make Ashton’s mouth feel dry, but it does, especially when Luke licks his lips afterwards, because perhaps his mouth is feeling just as dry.

And Ashton has the perfect remedy for that.

Luke beats him to it, though. He surges forward to eagerly connect their lips again, and kisses Ashton a lot less gently than before—not that Ashton is complaining. Not that he’ll _ever_ complain about rough kisses and kissing Luke in general. So, he doesn’t complain now even though the impact hurts just a little, since they were already so close together. Instead of complaining, he leans back into the couch and brings Luke with him.

With Luke’s weight on top of his body, Ashton already begins to feel hot, hot, _hot_. Doesn’t matter if it’s just because he’s inexperienced, or simply because he already knows where this is headed and he’s wanted this for so long now. _They’ve_ wanted this, both of them have, and now no one is around to stop them from finally achieving what they desire most.

Or, so they thought.

The sound of paws scuttering across the living room floor makes Ashton pull away from the heated kiss, despite Luke’s protests. When he looks down at the floor, it’s just as he’d thought. Indie stands near the coffee table, her head tilted to the side and her pointy ears alert as she watches their make out session.

What a little pervert.

“Go away, Indie, can’t you see we’re busy?” Ashton groans, and attempts to wave the puppy away. She doesn’t flinch and merely barks at him, making Luke giggle into his neck. Sighing, Ashton turns his attention back to the boy on top of him and says: “Listen, I’ll just… take her outside for now. She probably needs to go, anyway.”

Nodding, Luke removes himself from his current position so that Ashton can stand up from the couch.

Ashton glances over his shoulder, says, “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“I’ll be here,” Luke assures him. And right now, with the alluring way that he’s biting on his bottom lip, it’s obviously not because of his nervous habit.

Ashton really, _really_ needs to hurry back.

“C’mon, you annoying pup,” he says to the animal that has just cockblocked them.

Indie, of course, doesn’t give a single damn about his craving for sex, and simply follows him out into the backyard.

***

If there’s one thing that no one ever taught Ashton about sex, it’s how to actually _start_ having sex. Not even porn stars seem to know how to start sex, which is why most of the videos begin when someone already has a dick in their mouth, or it begins with a ridiculously corny scene that can’t be taken seriously at all. It’s just too awkward.

Awkwardness is exactly what welcomes them by the time that they’re standing in Ashton’s room. Neither of them thought that it would be this awkward when the time finally came, since they’ve already gotten each other off multiple times before. But those times were filled with adrenaline because they could have gotten caught at any moment, or because they each needed to be somewhere and had to hurry things up. Now that they’re no longer pressured with the thought of getting caught _and_ they have plenty of time to themselves, they don’t really know where to start.

They have to start somewhere, though, so Ashton clears his throat. “So, um… are you sure that you wanna do this? Like, a hundred percent sure?”

Luke responds with a feverish nod and: “Yeah, yeah I’m sure… are _you_ sure?”

“Very sure,” Ashton tells him, mimicking his nod. “I’ve, uh, done some research, so we should be good to go.”

 “Um, research?” Luke inquires, looking slightly confused. When Ashton nods again, his slight confusion changes into total amusement. “You did research… on how to have sex… like, for real?”

Sensing that he’s being teased now, Ashton huffs indignantly and says, “Yes, research on sex related things! I mean, obviously we want it to be _good_ , and since neither of us are experienced in this particular thing, I figured that I should look up tips and tricks or whatever, and—”

Luke’s mouth pressed against his own is what shuts Ashton up. And even though it’s such a rude thing to do when someone’s talking, he still refuses to complain because he thinks that they’ve done enough talking now. Right now, in this very moment, they’ve finally been given the chance to do more than just talk for once, and of course they plan to use this period of time to their advantage.

Ashton is quick to learn that actually being with someone is much different from the aforementioned porn videos. For instance, whereas porn stars typically know what they’re doing because they _are_ actors and actresses, it’s the complete opposite when he’s kissing Luke.

Their incredibly eager hands skitter all over each other’s bodies, unable to decide on where to touch one another first. Somehow Luke’s hands manage to settle on the hem of Ashton’s shirt, and when he yanks the fabric up, Ashton starts to help him remove it. The stupid shirt gets stuck on Ashton’s big head for a brief moment, making both of them giggle because it’s just so silly. Everything is silly, from the way that Ashton’s heart is beating wildly in his chest to the way that he swears he can almost hear Luke’s heart, too, if only he can quiet his own breathing to listen to it.

Ashton doesn’t want to be quiet, though. He doesn’t want to do anything right now except taste Luke’s skin and feel the warmth of the other boy’s body against his own. He wants so many things and all of them at once, it almost makes him feel dizzy. But if there’s one thing that he’s able to focus on, it’s the fact that his bed is waiting right behind them and they need to be on it. Like, _now_.

So, without wasting another second, Ashton leads Luke over to the bed and lays him down onto the mattress. From the moment that Ashton joins him, Luke is already attacking his mouth again, teeth nipping his bottom lip and shaky hands clawing down his bare chest. But as good as that feels—it really _does_ feel good, which is why Ashton lets out a deep moan—he has other plans, and those plans involve Luke being shirtless, too.

However, when Ashton starts to tug at the other boy’s shirt in an attempt to rid him of it, Luke stops clawing at his skin and breaks the kiss. In fact, he pulls away entirely so that they’re no longer touching each other, and the look of surprise on his reddened face turns into uncertainty. Clearly, Ashton has done something wrong already, and just as he’s about to blurt out numerous apologies, he suddenly remembers a very relevant fact.

Ashton has never seen Luke shirtless before, because Luke has never been shirtless in his presence.

All of those times that they got each other off, Luke had been fully clothed. Not once have they been completely naked in each other’s presence, even though Luke has seen Ashton in nothing but his boxers quite a few times. On the other hand, Ashton hasn’t seen too much of Luke’s skin, except for his lanky legs. Maybe even now, as they’re about to go all the way, he still doesn’t want his body to be seen. Maybe he’s still insecure, and so Ashton just has to respect that.

“Sorry,” Ashton says in an especially soft tone. “Do you… wanna leave this on?”

His suspicions are correct, because Luke begins to chew on his bottom lip as he silently weighs his options. Finally, he shakes his head and says:

“Take it off.”

The sudden confidence in Luke’s tone is the mirror opposite of the uncertain look on his face just a moment ago, when Ashton had tried to take his shirt off. Right now, even though his blue eyes are still wide and he looks so small, he also looks completely sure of himself and of what he wants.

Ashton will always give him what he wants. Especially in this moment. That’s why in a much gentler manner, he tugs at the hem of Luke’s shirt and patiently waits as the boy raises his arms up.  Despite being so excited, Ashton must remind himself to take things _slowly_. They still have plenty of time and Luke isn’t going anywhere, so there isn’t any reason to rush things.

And, once the shirt has finally been taken care of, Ashton spends a moment just taking in the sight of his beautiful boy. He takes in the pale skin that looks like it could be as soft as a baby’s, the few freckles splayed across Luke’s collarbones and his chest, and the little tummy rolls caused by the way that he’s sitting on the bed. Luke doesn’t have toned abs or a noticeably muscular chest. He doesn’t have prominent traps and he doesn’t have a V-cut, either.

To sum it up: Luke is perfect. Ashton already knew that without seeing his bare torso, but seeing this vulnerable side of him basically just reaffirms that. Luke is perfect and, _god_ , Ashton can’t wait to kiss him all over.

Without a second thought, Ashton cautiously reaches out so that he won’t startle Luke, and slowly drags his fingertips along the boy’s sharp collarbones.

“Can I kiss you here?” he whispers, looking into Luke’s bright eyes as he waits for permission.

Luke doesn’t say anything. Instead, he nods to give his consent and never takes his eyes off Ashton as the older boy closes the small distance between them, and presses his mouth to the area just below Luke’s slender neck.

And it’s the way that Ashton kisses him, so carefully and tenderly, just a brush of soft lips against even softer skin that makes Luke sigh blissfully. Each kiss along one collarbone and then the other is filled with meaning, one that Ashton hopes to convey with his every touch. He thinks that Luke will understand. He needs him to.

When Ashton pulls away after his lips have touched every inch of skin in that area, he points to Luke’s chest and asks: “How about here?”

Again, Luke says nothing but nods, and Ashton gestures for him to lie down against the pillows so that he’ll have better access. Luke does so without hesitation, and this time when Ashton’s lips touch his skin, delivering open-mouthed kisses to his hairless chest, Luke gasps as if he hadn’t expected it at all. He mutters something under his breath that Ashton doesn’t catch, now that he’s busy leaving yet another trail of kisses along the other boy’s chest, this time pressing down a little firmer but not being rough. That day at Starbucks, Ashton had promised not to be rough with him this first time. He plans to keep that promise.

This time when Ashton pulls away a little, he observes his work, taking in the redness of Luke’s chest and the way that he’s starting to breathe more heavily, due to the excitement and pleasure building up within. When he glances at Luke’s face for any signs of discomfort, he finds that it’s just as red as the skin on his chest, and Luke’s half-lidded eyes are darker than usual. All they’ve done is kiss, but he’s already so far gone, succumbing to feeling. That fills Ashton with pride.

“And here?” he asks for a third time, as one of his index fingers traces Luke’s right nipple.

The prominent Adam’s apple in Luke’s throat bobs up and down as he swallows, then nods for a third time as well. So Ashton leans back down and gives an experimental lick to the pink bud with the tip of his tongue. It startles him when Luke literally _yelps_ —and it’s just a small yelp, but it still happens, and it’s clear that he’s embarrassed about it because he clenches his eyes shut. Ashton only chuckles briefly before licking the nipple with the flat of his tongue and sucking on it gently, feeling just a bit prouder when Luke lets out a small moan.

Again and again, Ashton asks Luke for his permission before exploring a new area with his lips and tongue, and each time Luke allows him to. The younger boy seems to respond to the kisses more and more the lower that Ashton goes, until Luke is literally struggling not to make any sort of embarrassing noises. It’s far too cute, how no one else is around but Luke is still embarrassed, and that just eggs Ashton on even further.

Eventually, Ashton realizes as he’s sucking a small bruise into the skin over Luke’s sharp hipbone, this is as far south as he can go unless he removes a certain obstacle, first. That’s why he leans back and sits up straight again, then curls his fingers around the waistband of Luke’s jeans. He waits until Luke meets his eyes before asking:

“Can I…?”

Judging from the way that Luke instantly bobs his head up and down, Ashton would say that it’s certainly the most appropriate question to ask in this moment of urgency. He can tell by the tint in Luke’s jeans that he’s at least half hard already.

“Please,” Luke whimpers, just in case his nod wasn’t convincing enough.

And, who the hell is Ashton to keep him waiting? Never before has he managed to get rid of a pair of skinny jeans so quickly, but his mind is on the prize and he isn’t thinking of much else as he tugs the blue denim down Luke’s lengthy legs. Maybe that’s why it takes a moment for Ashton to notice one rather peculiar detail, and when he does, he pauses.

“Superman, huh?” he asks with raised brows, referring to the choice of boxers that Luke is wearing.

If Ashton had to guess, he’d say that the way Luke’s eyes widen and the blush on his cheeks deepen, means that he’d completely forgotten about them. His guess becomes truth when Luke begins to stutter out an explanation.

“My… my mum,” Luke starts, licking his lips and avoiding Ashton’s curious gaze. “She—okay, like, she knows that I love superheroes and shit like that, but she… she doesn’t know which ones, and apparently doesn’t know that I’m not ten anymore, so she buys me stuff like this all the time. But also, I don’t know, they’re much comfier than the plain kind? Like, they’re softer and I barely notice them and…”

Finding it pointless, or maybe he’s just aware that he isn’t making sense, Luke trails off and exhales a deep sigh. Then, he finally looks back into Ashton’s eyes and in the most bashful tone, he says:

“Don’t tell Bruce?”

To be honest, Ashton doesn’t mean to laugh at that. It just comes naturally. So, he laughs because it’s a silly thing and they’re both silly people. It doesn’t come as a surprise when Luke starts laughing a little, too.

“Not to worry, Luke,” he says through the laughter. “I promise not to tell Batman that you’re cheating on him with Superman. I mean, who wouldn’t?”

It’s also no surprise when Luke rolls his eyes at the teasing, even if he’s trying really hard not to smile again. Since superheroes on underwear is probably the least important topic right now, Luke is quick to change it.

“Your turn?” he suggests, anxiously chewing on his bottom lip now.

It takes a moment for Ashton to understand what he’s referring to, but then he remembers that he’s still in his sweatpants while Luke is down to his underwear. It probably makes him feel just a bit self-conscious, and well, who can blame him? So, Ashton stands up from the bed so that he can shimmy the sweatpants off, but just before doing that, he stops all of a sudden when a better idea comes to him.

Ashton wears a sly grin when he meets Luke’s eyes again. “Would you like to take them off for me? Or shall I do the job myself?”

“I’ll do it,” Luke immediately decides, and yeah, he’s _very_ eager. The way that he hastily crawls towards the edge of the bed proves this, as well as the way that he curls his fingers into the waistband of the sweatpants and pulls them down without hesitation, a look of concentration on his adorable face. The concentrated expression instantly shifts into something else, once the sweatpants are resting at Ashton’s ankles. Smiling wickedly, Luke glances up at his boyfriend’s face and says: “Batman? Really?”

So, maybe Ashton shouldn’t have laughed at Luke for wearing Superman underwear. No, he definitely shouldn’t have done that, considering the fact that he himself is currently sporting a semi in a pair of Batman boxers. The difference is that his own mother didn’t buy them for him, no, Ashton bought them himself for this very moment.

“I… I thought that you would be flattered!” he tries explaining, but he doesn’t even get to, since Luke erupts into a fit of giggles. Actually, the entire room is filled with the sound of their giggles after both of them collapse back onto the bed, unable to contain themselves. They’re laughing for numerous reasons, honestly. They’re laughing because they’re both a couple of absolute _dorks_ , and there’s no saving them. They are doomed to be dorks forever and ever, even after death. But, maybe that’s not such a bad thing, after all.

At least five whole minutes pass before they’re able to calm down again. In fact, Luke is still giggling a little when Ashton settles in between his long, pasty legs so that they can move forward. It’s not as easy when he feels like he’ll just start laughing again, but he manages to contain himself and grabs Luke’s attention by lovingly stroking one of his thighs.

Ashton stares at him. Luke stares back. The older boy raises his brows as his fingertips trace the outline of the Superman underwear, and he silently asks the most obvious question with his eyes. And because of the great communication that they have between them, Luke easily understands. He understands what Ashton is asking him permission for, so he nods.

Then, it almost feels like time is slowing down. Ashton never breaks eye contact as he slowly removes the underwear. He continues gazing into Luke’s baby blue eyes even as his cock is freed, and Luke lifts his hips so that Ashton can pull the underwear the rest of the way down. Once they’re out of the way and he tosses them somewhere else in the small room, only then does Ashton allows himself to take in the sight of his boyfriend’s completely naked form against the mattress.

Luke is still perfect. He truly is. Unlike Ashton, he doesn’t have much of a happy trail, but the barely visible light hairs beneath his belly button lead to something truly beautiful. His cock is smaller than Ashton’s; thinner, too. It’s really pink at the head and Ashton can already see a little droplet of precome along the slit. It’s enticing. He wants to taste it.

However, when Ashton glances up to ask Luke for permission to do just that, he finds that his lover’s eyes are tightly clenched shut and his face is turned away, as if he doesn’t look forward to seeing Ashton’s reaction to his body. And, Ashton is aware that he’s shy and all, but this doesn’t feel… right.

It just isn’t right, he decides.

But, he can make it right.

“You’re beautiful,” Ashton says, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. It works, he thinks, because Luke opens his eyes and actually looks at him. He looks at Ashton as if he were _crazy_ , but, he still looks. So, Ashton says it again. “God, you’re so damn beautiful, Lukey… most beautiful boy in the world.”

It actually saddens him when Luke glances away again. But this time, he doesn’t attempt to block out the world, and murmurs quietly:

“Are you sure?”

Although it’s a question that Ashton definitely hadn’t expected, he already knows the answer to it.

“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life,” Ashton tells him. And he means it. He honestly means it, and Luke must sense that honesty in his tone or in his eyes or _something_ , because now he’s looking at Ashton in awe. But, Ashton wants to show Luke that he means it with more than just words, so he asks, “Want me to prove it?”

With an almost childlike curiosity, Luke nods his head and waits for Ashton to be true to his word. And as someone who has been raised with the principle of always going through what he puts his mind to, Ashton wordlessly obliges.

The first thing that he does is dip his head between Luke’s legs, because that’s precisely where it belongs right now. Since he also believes in the notion of saving the best thing for last, Ashton doesn’t go straight for Luke’s cock. Instead, he decides to give his undivided attention to the pasty thighs on either side of his head, because they deserve love, too.

“You have beautiful thighs, Luke,” Ashton murmurs. He nuzzles the right one and hums when he finds that it’s just as soft as it looks. Then, he spares a brief glance back up at the younger boy and asks, “Want me to mark them up?”

Ashton guesses that the whimper he gets in response is supposed to be a yes, and when Luke confirms that it is with another shaky nod, Ashton proceeds to press a light trail of kisses up the underside of the same thigh. Without being too rough, he sucks on the soft skin and revels in the little gasps that come from the other boy, and he can already tell that Luke is slowly but steadily losing it. Satisfied with the bruise that begins to form on the pale skin, Ashton licks it and moves on to create another one in a different spot.

A minute or two later and both of Luke’s thighs are covered in love bites, his legs are quivering slightly, and he’s practically begging Ashton to give him the attention that he needs against his groin.

“Ash,” he whines again, thrusting into the air at nothing, as if that will relieve him. “Do something… _please_.”

Since Ashton can never deny him for too long, he licks the final bruise that he’s just created with his mouth and turns his attention to what’s directly ahead of him. And it’s almost tragic, how quickly he can go from feeling confident as he leaves love bites all over the other boy’s thighs, to feeling strangely insecure.

Because, well, it’s the first time that Ashton will be sucking someone else’s dick—not that he’s ever sucked his own, but you get the point. He’s never done this before, and so he’s a little nervous that he won’t make it good enough for Luke. Luckily, he’s not going into this blindly, because the knowledge that he has about blowjobs is all thanks to his own research.

Also thanks to Dylan. That boy was all too eager to give Ashton blowjob tips, when he bashfully asked for them a couple of weeks before. Therefore, even though Ashton is just a bit nervous, he doesn’t let it be shown. Instead, he goes with what feels right.

And what feels most right is starting by dragging his tongue flat against the underside of Luke’s cock. And fuck, it must feel _really_ right in Luke’s opinion, too, because he lets out the most beautiful moan that Ashton has ever been lucky enough to hear with his own ears. So he repeats the action, teasing Luke with his tongue instead of taking the cock into his mouth right away.

“Does it… does it feel good?” he asks, right before licking another strip up Luke’s cock.

Luke, at a loss for words, simply moans again, which basically means _yes_. And Ashton has to pull away for a moment to take in the sight, as his hand lazily moves up and down the shaft. He takes in the sight of Luke leaning up on his elbows because he wants to look, wants to see it all even though he’s clearly struggling to keep his eyes open. Ashton takes in the sight of Luke’s hands clenching the sheets, knuckles gone white and the thin veins in his arms popping out from the strain.

All of this, combined with the little noises that Luke is still making, has Ashton’s cock throbbing in his boxers.

It’s almost too much to bear.

He goes back to the task at hand, because that’s safer and doesn’t make him feel as if he’ll accidentally come untouched. Ashton quickly searches his brain for any other tips that he can remember, and lands on one that he thinks Luke will like a lot. Without warning, he lowers his head again and takes one of the balls into his mouth to begin sucking on it.

Luke lets out what may have been a scream, but whatever it was, it gets cut short when he brings a hand up to clamp it over his mouth. To be quite honest, it’s a little disappointing, because Ashton still wants to hear him. He wants to hear every moan and whimper, wants the satisfaction of knowing that Luke is making these noises all because of him.

Perhaps it’s time to switch up tactics, then. Ashton presses kisses along the length of Luke’s cock, going up and up until he reaches the tip. Now, this is a little trick that he learned via his own research, so Ashton takes the head into his mouth and teases the slit with his tongue, mentally applauding himself when Luke reacts positively to it. As in, the younger boy can no longer contain the moans that escape him, especially when Ashton begins to slowly take him in deeper.

Now the ‘job’ part of the word makes a lot more sense. Ashton finds that it certainly is a job to keep his jaw relaxed the entire time _and_ make use of his tongue, especially since Luke is already starting to buck his hips, the deeper that Ashton takes him in. He’s forced to use his hands to keep Luke against the mattress in order to avoid being choked. And while Ashton is aware of his every action as he concentrates to make this a damn good first blowjob, in contrast, Luke doesn’t seem to be aware of anything anymore. His head is thrown back against the pillow and no longer is he trying to see everything. His hands have buried themselves in Ashton’s curls and he’s tugging, and tugging, and tugging, but it doesn’t hurt. It actually feels pretty fucking nice, so Ashton hums around the cock in his mouth and continues slowly bobbing his head up and down.

Evidently, he’s doing a much better job than he originally thought. However, because he’s more concentrated on not hurting Luke with his teeth as well as not letting himself be choked, Ashton doesn’t listen for the warning signs or anything like that. As a consequence, what happens next takes him completely by surprise.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Luke curses through gritted teeth, and suddenly he’s coming down Ashton’s throat without a single warning—well, okay, so there was a warning, but Ashton had been too busy sucking dick to notice it—and with his hands still tangled in the curly hair, Luke’s rumbling moan seems to echo throughout the tiny room.

Ashton pulls off as soon as he’s able to, which happens to be at the same time that Luke starts to come down from his high and realizes what just happened. For a split second, they stare at each other with wide eyes and surprise on their faces, but then Luke groans and brings his hands up to cover his own face in shame.

“I… oh my god,” Luke whispers, and his voice sounds a little hoarse from all of the moaning that he’s done. “Oh my god, I am so fucking sorry, I didn’t mean to do that at all, okay, it just _happened_ and I couldn’t… I tried to warn you, I really did, but—fuck, I’m so sorry, this is my own fault and I seriously can’t believe that I just did that, oh my god…”

As usual, Luke says all of that at a mile a minute, and Ashton struggles to keep up. But even without the explanation, he can see that the younger boy is obviously embarrassed for coming so soon. Although it seems as if a lot of time has passed, the truth is that his cock had been in Ashton’s mouth for maybe about two minutes. Who knows, obviously neither of them were counting, but it couldn’t have been that long at all.

Ashton uses the back of his hand to wipe away the come that had dribbled onto his chin, and he crawls further up the mattress to reach Luke.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he says, because Luke is still muttering bad things to himself. When he doesn’t acknowledge those words, Ashton reaches out and grabs his wrists, then gently pulls them away so that Luke can’t hide his face anymore. And just as he’d thought, the blush on Luke’s face is as red as can be and his baby blue eyes look a bit sad. Or simply disappointed, whatever. Ashton speaks softly when he repeats: “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you, Luke. I mean, if anything, I’m flattered that I could make you come like that?”

Luke makes some sort of whining sound in the back of his throat, as if he doesn’t entirely believe that, but Ashton cuts him off when he tries to speak.

“So don’t worry, ‘kay?” With a little smirk, he adds: “Besides, this just means that I’ll have to make you come again. I’m definitely down for that.”

The small noise that Luke makes this time around is one of pure pleasure, just from the thought of having another orgasm. Ashton will count this as a great success. A second later it looks as if Luke wants to ask him something, so Ashton nods wordlessly as a way of saying ‘go ahead’.

Luke clears his throat but still speaks quietly. “Um… how does it taste?”

The question confuses Ashton at first, but then just like that, he knows exactly what Luke is referring to and it almost makes him laugh. What he does instead is lick the remaining come from his molars and swallows that, too; though not without shuddering a little from the odd taste.

“It’s a bit… salty? Yeah. Pretty salty,” he answers.

Out of nowhere, Luke starts to giggle. And, although Ashton always loves the sound of his laughter, it confuses him right now, so with a lopsided grin he asks the other boy: “What’s so funny, huh?”

“Your face!” Luke somehow manages to answer, still giggling a bit. “You should’ve seen the look on your face when you said that, oh my god.”

Ashton rolls his eyes and snorts, because in his opinion, the taste of spunk on his tongue is hardly anything to giggle about. He was only giving his honest review, after all, but whatever. If Luke wants to laugh at him, then he’ll just have to make the other boy taste it himself.

That’s when Ashton leans down and kisses Luke, tongue and all, which stops the laughter. He almost wants to laugh when Luke groans into his mouth, because obviously he’s not enjoying the taste of his own come; but he doesn’t push Ashton away, either. As a matter of fact, he pulls him closer and allows Ashton to lick into his mouth until he’s completely satisfied with the ‘revenge’.

When Ashton pulls back, Luke is smiling. He’s smiling for no reason at all or maybe some reason, but Ashton doesn’t know or care. Luke is smiling at him with those pearly white teeth and it makes his heart race. And that’s so pathetic, he thinks, because he literally just sucked Luke’s cock until he came, yet it’s a simple smile that has him feeling this way.

Love is such a strange thing. Ashton doubts he’ll ever understand it.

His thoughts are interrupted when he feels Luke’s hands sliding down his back, and when they reach their destination, Ashton gasps. The younger boy is still smiling at Ashton as he slides his hands beneath the waistband of the boxers that are feeling just a bit too tight, and he squeezes the perky ass that they cover.

“Take these off,” Luke suggests.

And it’s almost comical, how Ashton nods and then tries to slide out of the underwear without leaving Luke’s space or even looking away from him. He ends up struggling so much that Luke has to help him, and it’s awkward for a second when Ashton somehow bumps his head against the headboard of the bed. Why the hell is that even there? Whatever, doesn’t matter, because they laugh about it and move on.

Once Ashton is just as naked, he feels his entire body flush from the way that Luke is admiring him now. He almost feels silly about it, since he’s never felt self-conscious about his appearance before. But right now, it feels like his body is on display as Luke takes in every inch of him, his eyes mainly focused on Ashton’s exposed cock. However, he doesn’t think that his boyfriend is disappointed with what he has to offer. No, far from it.

In fact, Luke stares for so long that Ashton is about to ask if he likes what he sees, but the words get caught in his throat and he gasps instead, once Luke’s hand reaches out and he curiously drags his index finger from the tip of Ashton’s leaking slit and all the way down to the base of his cock. Obviously that feels really, _really_ good, and Luke smirks at him before those eyes dart back down to the task in front of him. That task includes him wrapping his entire hand around Ashton and experimentally stroking him.

Honestly? Ashton feels like he’s about to lose it. Luke’s hand feels so warm around him, and it’s an unconscious act when he begins to fuck the other boy’s fist. It’s just that his hard-on has been neglected ever since they first began, what with Ashton wanting to please Luke first. And now that it’s being given even this little bit of attention, he knows that he won’t be able to last.

But, Ashton doesn’t want to follow Luke’s footsteps and come too soon. So even though it feels _incredible_ , he grabs Luke’s wrist to make him stop.

“I want—” Ashton starts to say, but his throat is dry and he’s forced to try again. “I want you. Will you let me…?”

Because Luke knows exactly what he’s alluding to, he nods with wide eyes and lies back down flat against the mattress. Ashton really doesn’t want to leave him, not even for a second, but he pulls himself together and hops off the bed to search for the small shoe box underneath it. There, he takes out the necessary items that he’d stored within the box weeks ago.

Opening Luke up with his fingers takes time. Lots of time, in fact, because Luke has to adjust to the unfamiliar feeling of an intrusion down there. Ashton doesn’t care how long it takes, though. It fills him with joy just to know that Luke trusts him this much, because it has to take a lot to trust to let someone do this type of thing. And since Ashton wants to take great care of his boy and show Luke just how much he’s loved, he remains patient.

When it looks like he may be going too fast, Ashton slows down. When Luke gives him the okay to continue, Ashton continues. They work together just like this, at a pace that’s appropriate for the circumstance. Neither of them had ever imagined that this part would be so intimate, but it is, and it’s wonderful.

Eventually, Luke insists that he’s ready to take Ashton’s cock, so the older boy carefully removes his fingers and hastily opens the condom to sheath himself. He’s so excited for this, they’re _both_ so excited for this, and it’s easy to tell from the way that Luke licks his lips several times as he watches Ashton stroke himself with his lubed up fist. He’s so ready for this, he keeps on muttering, and Ashton repeats it back to him with a smile.

They decided a long time ago in the coffee shop that it would be best for Luke to ride Ashton. So once the older boy lies flat on the bed with his head resting against the pillow, Luke wastes no time in mounting him so that they can finally do this. Since Ashton can’t handle just lying there, his hands stroke Luke’s thighs while the other boy takes the cock into his hand and lines it up with his hole. For a brief moment, it feels as if time has stopped, when they lock eyes at the same time and Luke begins to sink down onto him. Then, all at once, time begins to move again and Ashton is overwhelmed with what has to be the greatest feeling in the world, probably.

Even with the lengthy preparation, Luke feels so _tight_ around him, so tight and warm and _perfect_ and Ashton almost loses the ability to breathe. He has to shut his eyes for a moment even though he doesn’t want to, even though he wants to watch Luke take him in. He just _can’t_ , though, so he shuts his eyes and succumbs to the overwhelming pressure and the heat around his cock.

This truly is the best feeling in the world, Ashton decides. Not because he’s actually inside of someone, but because he’s inside of _Luke_. Luke is the best feeling, Luke is the best thing, and Ashton is so in love with him that it physically aches. Maybe it’s the adrenaline pumping through him, or maybe it’s just his fuzzy mind that can’t register anything else, but he tells himself that one day, he’s going to marry this boy. He really will.

Ashton doesn’t open his eyes until he feels Luke stop. He’s certain that he isn’t all the way inside of the other boy yet, and when he opens his eyes to look, he finds that he’s correct. Glancing up, he sees that Luke’s eyes are closed and there’s a pained expression on his face as he struggles to go any further.

“Luke?” he calls out, hoping that the boy will open his eyes and look down at him. He doesn’t.

“I-I’m fine,” Luke mumbles, and he’s already breathing hard despite what he says. In an effort to make things easier for himself, he lifts up on his knees a little so that only the head of Ashton’s cock is still in him, and then he attempts to sink down once more, only to stop again.

Ashton remembers reading somewhere that it may hurt a bit, even though he’s sure that they’ve used enough lube. Maybe he’s wrong, though, so he offers to apply some more, but Luke stubbornly shakes his head and starts to sink down again, centimeter by centimeter. Not wanting to feel like he’s not helping, Ashton begins to stroke Luke’s thighs again to comfort him. When that doesn’t seem to do much and Luke still looks like he’s in pain, Ashton wraps a hand around the other boy’s cock and slowly jerks him off.

But, regardless of what they try to do to make the process more bearable, it seems like several minutes pass by without much progress. In fact, Luke has to pull off completely a couple of times, both frustration and determination gracing his facial features. But Ashton doesn’t like that he’s hurting Luke. He doesn’t like it one bit.

Suddenly, Luke seems to give up. He leans all the way forward so that his forehead it resting against Ashton’s chest and sighs out: “It hurts, Ash…”

And Ashton’s heart breaks for the other boy, it really does. He nods in understanding and uses a hand to gently caress Luke’s back, then tries to reassure him by saying, “It’s okay, we don’t have to go any further. Look, I’ll pull out and—”

“Don’t you dare.”

Having not expected to be cut off like that, Ashton frowns. But he’s quick to recover, shaking his head and ready to argue.

“Luke, you’re in _pain_. What’s the point of continuing if I’m the only one that’s enjoying it?”

Perhaps Luke realizes that Ashton makes a good point, which is why he doesn’t say anything at first.

Only at first. Because of course he won’t give up that easily.

“You should be on top,” Luke suggests all of a sudden. He lifts his head just enough to make eye contact. “Maybe… maybe it’ll feel better that way.”

The suggestion just might work, but Ashton finds it odd considering a certain detail that they’re both aware of. “But… but what about… I thought that you didn’t like having people on top of you? Which is why we decided to do it this way…”

Luke glances away for a second, taking his bottom lip between his teeth. But then he locks eyes with Ashton again and slowly shakes his head.

“I’ll be fine. I will.” When he sees that Ashton might argue, Luke leans down and kisses his lips. As he pulls away, he looks into Ashton’s hazel eyes again and says in what has to be the softest tone: “I trust you.”

And it’s just that.

Those words, they make Ashton feel some type of way that he can’t even describe. It’s an overwhelmingly good feeling, though.

“Okay,” Ashton says at last, nodding. He’s filled with confidence when Luke smiles at him, then pecks his lips once more.

As carefully as he can manage, Ashton rests a hand against the small of Luke’s back and flips them over, effectively switching their positions so that Luke is lying against the mattress now. Ashton has imagined having Luke beneath him like this so many times, but his imagination doesn’t compare to _this_. He never could have prepared himself for just how beautiful Luke looks, with his flushed cheeks and neck, and the strands of blond hair sticking to his sweaty forehead.

Ashton is thinking about all of this as he lifts one of Luke’s legs and places it over his shoulder to make things easier, and he begins to push back into Luke’s entrance at a snail’s pace. This time around, things go a lot smoother. He keeps his eyes on Luke’s face for any signs of extreme discomfort, and unlike before, he finds none. The stretching obviously still burns somewhat, which is why Luke’s face scrunches up occasionally, but he doesn’t ask Ashton to stop, doesn’t groan in agony.

By the time that Ashton bottoms out, he’s panting rather harshly as he adjusts to the overwhelming tightness and heat for the second time. He’s not the one who needs to adjust to any sort of discomfort, though, so he forces his eyes open and asks:

“How is it? Is this okay? Are _you_ okay?”

Luke doesn’t answer those consecutive questions immediately. Currently, his eyes are clenched shut and his mouth is hanging open, and all that he does is breathe. He inhales deeply and then lets it out all at once, and when he finally opens his eyes, they’re blown wide and filled with lust.

“Do it,” Luke says. He raises his brows and adds, “Move,” just in case Ashton needs further instruction on how to fuck him.

And, well, Ashton doesn’t need further instruction. Not really. He knows exactly what comes next, so he nods and lets his hips do the talking.

Ashton slowly drags out before pushing back in, and when they both moan softly at the same time, he knows that he’s doing something right. So he repeats the action, again and again at that same slow pace. And each time Luke responds to the movement, his moans gradually getting a little louder. No longer is he ashamed of the sounds that he makes, no longer does he hold back.

Neither of them hold back. It feels too fucking amazing to hold back what’s bound to come forth eventually, anyway.

That’s why Ashton sighs deeply and says, “You feel so good, Luke… so _warm_ …”

Luke doesn’t respond with words. He responds with his eyes, gazing up into Ashton’s and trying his hardest to keep them open. It’s such a powerful stare, too. It means so many things that words can never come close to explaining accurately enough, just how Luke feels in this moment with Ashton buried deep inside of him. And even though Ashton can’t read the other boy’s mind, he knows that it’s the exact same feeling that they’re experiencing.

And because they feel truly connected in this moment, Ashton can tell exactly what Luke wants when he inclines his neck forward. Of course he’s unable to reach, so Ashton has to be the one to lean down and kiss him. That’s precisely what he does, too. The angle’s a little weird, though, what with Luke’s leg propped up on his shoulder. So the kiss ends up being sloppy and since Ashton’s still thrusting, his hips picking up the pace a little, their teeth clack against each other almost painfully. Yet, neither of them want to stop kissing.

The angle problem is easily fixed when Ashton leans back and lifts Luke’s other leg over the opposite shoulder, allowing him to get even closer to his love. But this new angle triggers something deep inside of Luke, and he cries out in pleasure just before Ashton gets to kiss him again. Obviously they’re both aware of what that spot is, and Ashton is honestly surprised that he managed to hit it accidentally, despite this being their first time. And now that he knows where it is, Ashton hits that spot intentionally on nearly every thrust after that, and Luke makes the softest keening noise.

“Ash.” Luke moans brokenly, and his eyes roll back into his head as the pleasure overwhelms him. Again and again, he chants: “Ash, Ash, _Ash_.”

All of it, everything, starts to be just a bit too much. His name on Luke’s lips, their sweaty bodies moving together in a perfect rhythm, and the way that Luke’s arms try to tug him closer and closer still, even though it’s impossible to be any closer than they already are. It still isn’t enough, though. It’s not nearly enough, and Ashton feels the same.

Maybe that’s why he knows just what to do, when Luke’s hand finds his and grips it tightly. That’s why Ashton turns his hand over so that they can lace their fingers together, and Luke squeezes him back. They truly are in this together now, and neither of them want this special moment to ever end. They never want to let go of each other, either.

But the pleasure, it’s still too much, and Ashton doesn’t stop chasing it for a single moment. He does what his instincts tell him to do in this moment of pure unadulterated bliss, and repositions Luke’s legs so that they’re wrapped around his waist now. Propping himself up on one palm while his other still holds Luke’s hand, Ashton fucks into him harder, faster, his thrusts increasingly desperate and sloppy because he’s gradually losing control as he comes closer to his climax.

The inevitable is rapidly building up within both of them in different ways, Ashton can tell, but the searing heat that’s pooling in the pit of his own stomach threatens to spill over at any moment, regardless of his wishes. He wants to hold back, _tries_ to, because he needs to see Luke come undone first. He needs to watch the other boy surrender to the pleasure, allow it to engulf his very being in this moment that Ashton is fucking him, _making love_ to him, in such a way that it’s almost like healing.

Maybe it is just like healing. Maybe they’re healing each other with every touch, every kiss, and every thrust of hips. Ashton cherishes Luke with everything that he has and Luke completely gives himself over, out of love and trust for the older boy above him. So much love, so much trust. So much that it’s literally overwhelming.

And it’s then, in that brief moment when they lock eyes, that Luke can’t hold on anymore. All of it happens in slow motion: he surrenders with his back arched from the mattress and his head tilted back against the pillows, mouth hanging open and jaw slack but making no sound as the pleasure washes over him. His free hand is still stroking himself and white stripes of come cover his belly, chest, and fist. Somehow, there’s something utterly pure about it. Luke’s orgasm is so pure and beautiful—and Ashton, he can’t. He just can’t.

He can’t take it anymore.

The sight of it all is what pushes Ashton over the edge, his hips snapping forward until his own orgasm feels like it’s been punched out of him, and he rides it out with Luke’s name spilling from his lips as if it’s the only thing that he knows. And it is, to be quite honest. Right now, _Luke_ is all that Ashton knows and feels and breathes. Just Luke. Nothing else.

Well, except exhaustion. Ashton knows exhaustion, too, and he feels it deep within his bones. He’s only vaguely aware that he’s still lying on top of the other boy, so he uses the remainder of his strength to lift up and pull out. Luke clings to him, though. When Ashton attempts to get up and throw away the dirty condom, Luke holds him back, so he tosses it on the floor instead. He’ll just have to remember to pick it up later.

For now, he grabs his shirt off the floor and uses it to clean Luke’s torso, then tosses that back on the floor, too. Afterwards, Ashton holds Luke tightly in his arms during this short period of time where they’re both still feeling so lightheaded, still dealing with the aftershocks of their orgasms and waiting for their beating hearts to return to normal. The silence is incredibly peaceful and soothing, and it’s only broken when Ashton remembers that he hasn’t asked Luke how he’s feeling, or if he’s okay.

However, right as he’s about to ask, his ears pick up the sound of sniffling. So Ashton pulls back enough to look into Luke’s eyes, and his heart drops into his stomach when he sees that they’re full of tears, for some unknown reason.

“Luke? Baby, what’s wrong?” Ashton asks, panicked. Of course he’s panicking. They’ve just had sex and now his boyfriend is crying, and he hasn’t the slightest clue _why_. But he assumes that it’s something he’s done wrong, or maybe something he hasn’t done but should have. Either way, Ashton panics.

Strangely enough, Luke is shaking his head and saying: “Nothing, nothing is wrong! I swear. It’s just that I, um…” He trails off, sniffling again. “I’m just… happy.”

Still confused but no longer panicking, Ashton brings a hand up and gently wipes away Luke’s tears with the pad of his thumb.

“You’re crying because you’re happy?” he asks slowly.

Luke nods. “Yeah. I am. I’m really happy, Ash, because of you, because of us, and everything in between… I don’t know, I just feel so happy right now? And, like, I always feel happy when I’m with you and I don’t know how to explain it but I feel like… I feel…”

The younger boy trails off again, groaning in frustration when he can’t find the word that he wants to use. Somehow, Ashton understands what he means. He understands completely, so he pulls Luke to his chest because he just needs to have him close, and he thinks that Luke needs it, too.

“I know,” Ashton murmurs, then kisses the top of Luke’s head. “Believe me, I know.”

And Luke does believe him. He really does.

After that, they welcome the peaceful silence that returns to them. In fact, so many minutes pass without another word exchanged between them, that Ashton assumes Luke may have fallen asleep by now. And if he isn’t asleep, then he’s certainly on his way there. That’s perfectly fine, Ashton is more than willing to help him reach that dreamy state. So with one hand tracing comforting circles into the younger boy’s back, Ashton begins to hum.

It’s mindless humming at first, just a tune that he comes up with himself. But then Ashton settles on a specific song and begins humming that tune instead, since he knows that it’s one of Luke’s favorite songs to listen to. His soft humming reaches every corner of the quiet room, and for a moment, Ashton struggles not to put himself to sleep, too.

All of a sudden, he’s not singing alone anymore. A small, almost shy voice joins in on his humming, and suddenly Ashton is wide awake again.

Luke is singing.

Luke is _actually_ singing, and not just muttering the lyrics under his breath like he has been doing for a while now. No, this time he’s singing with his face still pressed against Ashton’s chest, and he isn’t holding anything back. Since Ashton has been waiting so long to hear his boy sing, he lowers the volume of his own humming and listens closely.

_[“You look so beautiful in this light,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27kdHu2gQQI) your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the green in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea.”_

Ashton wears a little smile upon noticing when Luke changes the color in the lyrics to make it more accurate, but he doesn’t interrupt. Never in a million years would he interrupt the other boy’s singing, now that it’s actually happening.

_“And all of the voices surrounding us here, they just fade out when you take a breath. Just say the word and I will disappear into the wilderness.”_

Now, Luke sings just a little bit louder, as if he’s gaining confidence—no, gaining his _voice_ back by the second. After having it taken from him over two years ago, he’s finally found the strength to take it back and claim it as his own. Because it’s _his_ voice. No one else’s.

And he isn’t afraid to use it anymore.

_“Should this be the last thing I see… I want you to know it’s enough for me, ‘cause all that you are is all that I’ll ever need. I’m so in love, so in love, so in love, so in love…”_

The room is once again shrouded in silence when Luke finishes singing. And that’s only because, for the first few seconds, Ashton is absolutely speechless. It’s the good type of speechless, though. Of course it is, because Luke’s voice still sounds _amazing_ after all this time. But Luke probably doesn’t know that, which is why he’s currently giving all of his attention to the tiny hairs on Ashton’s chest, feeling just a bit nervous and uncertain because the older boy hasn’t said anything yet.

Until, finally, Ashton finds his own voice.

“That was beautiful, Luke,” he mutters in awe. “So beautiful… you sounded just like an angel.”

Almost in a timid manner, Luke lifts his head from Ashton’s chest to look into his eyes. He must be able to see the sincerity within them, because the corners of his mouth quirk up into a smile, even if it’s a bashful one.

“I’ve, um… I’ve been practicing?” Luke explains. “Just a little bit here and there when I’m alone.”

“Well, it definitely paid off,” Ashton tells him, and when he giggles, Luke giggles a little bit, too. He hopes that he isn’t overstepping his boundaries when he clears his throat and says afterwards: “Can you… sing the rest for me? You don’t have to, but I’d love it if you did.”

Ashton is unable to read the expression on Luke’s face when he says those words, can’t tell what’s going through his mind. However, he doesn’t need to try and figure it out, because soon enough, Luke is nodding. Then, he opens his mouth and sings the next part in that same relaxing tone.

_“Lumière, darlin’… lumière over me.”_

Right now, Luke is glowing. He never breaks eye contact as he sings to Ashton, either. His hand comes up and he gently strokes the older boy’s cheek, while Ashton temporarily forgets how to breathe. He’s just so mesmerized by Luke Hemmings, the beautiful singing angel, that he’s afraid if he does anything else but stare up into those sparkling blue eyes, he’ll miss something great.

 _“Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it’s enough for me, ‘cause all that you are is all that I’ll ever need… I’m so in love, so in love. So in love, love, love, love, so in love_ …”

Technically, within the original song, there’s still one final part to be sung. But Ashton is so overcome with emotion in this moment, and he doesn’t think that he can wait for Luke to finish the whole thing before kissing the fuck out of him. So, Ashton doesn’t wait. His hand goes to the back of Luke’s neck and he guides him down until their lips are pressed together and it feels like they’ve become a single entity.

In truth, Ashton wouldn’t mind it if they really did.

***

Ashton awakens a couple of hours later, though he has no recollection of falling asleep in the first place. He glances down and finds Luke still curled up at his side, sleeping soundly. Knowing that Luke is still with him fills Ashton with an immense amount of relief, which is a little silly, because where else would Luke be? Doesn’t matter, he’s right here, right now, and Ashton is so relieved.

Watching Luke’s chest rise and fall combined with the peaceful expression on his face is so hypnotizing. It almost makes Ashton want to shut his eyes and return to dreamland, completely disregarding the real world and only focusing on the warmth of Luke’s body next to his.

Unfortunately, Ashton can’t do that. Even though it feels like it, the truth is that this bubble of happiness and love that they’ve formed around them is not impenetrable. And in reality, his mother and siblings should be home within the next couple of hours, maybe more, maybe less. Therefore, sleeping is no longer an option, and although he doesn’t want to, he has to wake Luke up.

“Lukey,” Ashton says, and his voice sounds so gravely from sleep and post-sex that it makes him cringe. Never mind that, it isn’t important. He gently shakes the boy’s broad shoulder and tries again: “Babe, wake up.”

Surprisingly, Luke actually does begin to stir, despite it usually taking a lot more effort to wake him up. Of course, when he opens his eyes and recognizes where he is, he still glares at Ashton with so much hatred and resentment that it’s hilarious. He doesn’t mean it, though. Of course he doesn’t, and Ashton knows that. Luke is merely the world’s grumpiest bear, so it can’t be helped.

“What do you want?” he groans, trying to hide his face within the pillow once more.

“We should get up, my mum will be back from the beach sooner or later.”

Luke suddenly stops trying to hide his face, because he knows what that means and recognizes the seriousness in Ashton’s tone. Groaning again, Luke stretches out his long limbs and lets out an even louder yawn. However, the sound of his stomach growling is the loudest noise of all.

They look at each other at the same time, and to no surprise, Luke is embarrassed. Ashton suppresses a giggle for his sake, and only his sake.

“I’m… a bit hungry,” he mutters, rubbing his empty tummy. It makes sense, considering that they didn’t eat lunch and the waffles that they consumed early in the morning isn’t enough to keep them satisfied for long. So Ashton has to agree with him. And because he’s too lazy to cook something up for them, he suggest:

“How about I order a pizza?”

Hardly a second goes by before Luke is nodding enthusiastically at the offer.

“God, yes. _Please_.”

Ashton chuckles at that. As he pulls back the covers, he’s suddenly aware of the fact that he’s still naked. They’re both naked, and if his memory is correct, then they both could use a nice shower to wash the smell of sex from their skin.

Grinning, he says, “We should probably get cleaned up first. Wanna shower with me, Luke?”

Despite all that they’ve done here today, an obvious blush appears on Luke’s cheeks. And if that isn’t the cutest thing, then Ashton doesn’t know what is. However, instead of nodding like Ashton had imagined he would, Luke chews on his lips and asks:

“Can we take a bath instead?”

And, well, okay. That’s not a ridiculous request. No, not in the slightest, which is why Ashton gives him a small smile and nods.

“Sure, a bath sounds really nice right now.” He hops up from the mattress and turns around to offer Luke a hand. “Coming?”

The excitement on Luke’s face as he nods and takes his boyfriend’s hand is even stronger than his grumpiest from just a minute ago. Now, he’s as happy as can be, holding Ashton’s hand and being led to the bathroom down the hallway. And if Ashton is honest, he’s feeling just as excited about bathing with the other boy.  He truly is.

The water rapidly filling the bathtub is the only sound being made within the bathroom. This is only because Luke is still so sleepy, yawning occasionally as he patiently waits for the tub to fill up. Ashton is feeling a bit sleepy, too. After adding in a ton of liquid for the bubbles (Luke’s request, not his) there isn’t much else to do, so he stays kneeling by the tub to make sure that the water doesn’t get too hot. Sometimes it does that, changing temperatures on its own, so it never hurts to be cautious.

Overall, the silence is welcoming, not awkward. Definitely not awkward at all. Every once in a while, Ashton will glance over his shoulder just to check on Luke and make sure that he’s still there, and he always is. He always smiles at Ashton when he catches the older boy looking, too. But Ashton can’t help himself, because all of this feels more like a dream. He’s worried that he’ll blink and suddenly Luke will be gone, and he’ll be all alone again. Maybe it’s silly to think this way, but it still worries him.

Luke’s shy smile takes the worry away, though. Just a bit.

“It’s ready,” Ashton announces, now that the tub is mostly filled up. He turns the knob to stop the water from flowing any further, then stands up and turns to the other boy with a small smile and raised brows. “Wanna get in first?”

Nodding, Luke steps towards the bathtub and gets into it one leg at a time. The water must not be too hot for him, since he makes no comment and starts to sit down. However, as soon as he does, he hisses in pain and sinks down into the water at a much slower pace, though the discomfort is clearly visible on his face.

“Are you alright? Is the water too hot after all?” Ashton asks, already looking worried again.

However, Luke quickly shakes his head and doesn’t look Ashton in the eye when he answers with: “No, it’s not that. Just a bit sore… down there…”

Oh.

 _Oh_. Ashton hadn’t seen that one coming. And, he almost starts to laugh until he remembers that it’s his own fault. Then, he just feels a little sorry for the boy, but verbally apologizing would probably just make things awkward.

Still, there are other ways that Ashton can make up for giving Luke a sore bottom. So, he steps into the tub to join his boyfriend and lowers down with ease, and only now realizes how tall they both are when they have to rearrange their legs in order to fit comfortably. It doesn’t take much, though, and then they’re finally able to relax at last.

Because they’re sitting on opposite sides, Ashton smiles and crooks a finger at Luke, beckoning him closer. With a smile of his own, Luke follows instructions and slowly moves to the other side of the tub, turning around in the process so that his back is facing Ashton. The younger boy fits perfectly between Ashton’s legs, and not even the immense amount of bubbles can fully cover his back.

“I’m gonna wash your back now,” Ashton murmurs, picking up the small towel that he’d set on the side of the tub. “Would you like that?”

Luke nods without hesitation. “Mhm.”

So Ashton washes him. He washes Luke’s back by gently scrubbing it with the soaped up towel, and from the way that Luke sighs multiple times, it’s safe to assume that it feels heavenly. He especially likes it when Ashton presses sweet kisses along his shoulder blades, as well as to the back of his neck. Receiving soft kisses has always been Luke’s favorite thing, Ashton knows. So he keeps giving them to him, unconditionally.

After Ashton has washed his backside, front side, and given him a plethora of kisses, Luke leans back in the older boy’s arms so that his head is resting on Ashton’s shoulder, and he turns so that his nose is pressed into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. He kisses the glistening skin over Ashton’s throat before exhaling a content sigh.

“Do you think we’ll ever do this again?” he murmurs, though his voice seems to bounce off the walls of the small bathroom.

Ashton hums and squeezes his arms a little tighter around the boy, taking a moment to answer the question. However, that particular question could be referring to many things; will they ever bathe with each other again? Will they ever repeat what they’ve just done in Ashton’s bedroom? Will they ever spend another day like this together, just the two of them and nobody else? And there are so many answers to those questions, too.

But, Ashton answers none of them. Instead, he asks: “Would you want to?”

And it doesn’t take Luke more than a second to decide. “Mhm… I would.”

“Then yes,” Ashton tells him. “We will.”

That must’ve been the perfect thing to say, because Luke twists out of Ashton’s grasp until he’s facing him with an excited smile. Then, the younger boy wastes no time in straddling Ashton—well, as much as one can be straddled in a narrow tub—and he wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. When he leans their foreheads together, he whispers:

“I love you.”

Ashton smiles even wider than the boy in his lap, and it’s automatic when he replies, “I love you more.”

However, those words make Luke roll his eyes. “Stop saying that, it’s lame and impossible.”

“Excuse me? I’ll have you know that it is _very_ possible,” Ashton insists. And because he knows that these next words will probably get his nose bitten off, but he doesn’t particularly care right now, he adds: “In fact, it’s much more possible than Batman defeating Superman, so.”

As anticipated, Luke gives him a death glare. “Don’t start with me, Fletcher.”

Ashton can’t help but laugh at that. He laughs because, well, he’s only human. Besides, Luke laughs with him, too, and that just makes it so much better. And even when the other boy gets revenge by splashing him afterwards, Ashton doesn’t complain. He’ll never complain about the little things, as long as he’s with Luke.

Later on, after they’ve helped each other dry off and they’re no longer able to ignore their empty stomachs, they’ll order pepperoni pizza and devour the entire thing while sitting on the couch downstairs and watching _X-Men: First Class_. Ashton will tease Luke about having the hots for Jennifer Lawrence and Luke will sneak a bite of Ashton’s slice of pizza when he thinks that Ashton isn’t looking, but he is. And he’ll let him.

Not long after that, Ashton’s family will come back and join them. Harry will be sunburnt and Lauren will have collected over a dozen little seashells for Ashton to make an accessory out of, and Anne will be exhausted from the long drive so she’ll order another pizza to avoid cooking dinner. None of them will question Luke’s presence, nor will they question Ashton’s miraculous recovery from his supposed ‘illness’ or the way that he and Luke seemed to be attached at the hip, much more than usual. They’ll just accept it, and then they’ll argue over which movie to watch next.

Then, and only then, will Ashton realize that everything is exactly as it should be.

**Author's Note:**

> (The part about Sharkboy and Lavagirl was taken from [this post here.](http://mpregashton.tumblr.com/post/123963622260))


End file.
